My Boss's Lover
by Hane no Aozora
Summary: Zero wanted to take a breather and happily took the 'clerical' job offered by the association. The said clerical job was being a vampire-led company's president's secretary. There is warning inside.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight and its characters. The setting is a different universe than that in the manga/anime-one that I created myself with influence of other fanfic authors' universes.

Claimer: so that leaves the only original thing is the plot. :D

Warning: will contain explicit male-male relationship and male-male sex. If you're not into yaoi, you can still read it, who knows you'll become a hardcore fujoushi like me ._. I won't take any responsibility if that indeed happen XD.

Dhinx's note: I put this in the humour category, but I'm not sure whether it's humorous enough... please let me know what you think ==b. And the stupid news is that the update might take a while and irregular (my updates weren't regular to begin with, but this time it'll take more than usual between chapters because of some reasons), but I hope the story is worth the wait :D. Anyway I just read (yeah, I just read it after years I've been writing for ffn) in the guidelines that ffn actually doesn't support explicit adult contents (rating MA or 18+, while the M rating here is 16+). I'm a bit worried...

(*- **Chapter 1** -*)

The sound of glass fell and broken alarmed him. He woke from his dozed off state and looked around before calming his muscles down. The familiar voices from the room beyond the ceiling-tall doors were vaguely heard—thanks to his vampire senses, by the way—and he knew right away that nothing was in jeopardy. The sound of the broken glass was soon followed by soft rustling sound of papers being pushed out of the table and the creaking sound of the table holding the weight on top of it.

"AH!" someone screamed.

Zero rolled his eyes. Straightening his back, he stretched to the left and right. Hs neck and some parts of his back bones cracked and he hummed in relief. It's been a month and he had begun noticing how unhealthy his life had become. First he had to work from dusk till dawn. Second he had to work behind the table and computer screen. Third he had to sleep in sitting position if things became unbearable. And fourth, he would wake up from strange sounds emitting from his boss' office.

These vampires really didn't know how to act decent, it seems.

"AHH!" heard another scream. Zero sighed. He reached to the phone and dialled the pantry.

"Yes?" answered the office boy.

"YEEEESSSS!" the scream from the office suddenly became awfully loud.

Zero cursed under his breath.

"I'm sorry Sir?" the office boy asked, startled.

"No, nothing. I mean, bring me a cup of black coffee. Three spoons of coffee, no cream, no sugar," he said quickly. Poor the office boy.

"Right away, Sir."

Zero put down the phone and then looked at the computer screen, at the job he neglected a few minutes ago when he fell asleep. It was the last thing he needed to do for the day before he could go home. He yawned and blinked. Working at this hour was never his specialty. Even thought it was contradictive, and he admitted it, he liked working during the day, when the sun was high above him and everything was blindingly luminous.

It gave him some kind of weird assurance, that he was still a person living on Earth, not some beast that come out when it was dark.

"Ah! Y-yeah! Ah!"

"Fuck!" he cursed. He pressed a button wrong and a part of the document disappeared. He quickly undid the mistake before he forgot and erased half the done job permanently.

"Mmh! Harder! Oh, it's so great!"

Great my ass! Zero closed his ears with both his hands. But the voices didn't quieten down, continuing on assaulting his hearings. Zero had to admit it was arousing hearing them doing it like this at first, but after a few times, it became very annoying. Can't they go to some love hotel or something?

"I-I'm cumm-ahhh..."

Fuck. Now he felt his insides swirled and his pants tightened. He had to do something with it...

The door to his office was knocked twice. The office boy was smiling from beyond the glass door, a tray with steaming cup of coffee on his hands. Zero nodded. The office boy opened the door and quietly stepped in. Zero exhaled loudly. The amazing thing of this bizarreness was that none of the workers in this building had even known about their president's nasty habits. Like now, they finished just before the office boy came. Did they have a sixth sense or something?

The office boy carefully put the coffee on the corner of Zero's table. Zero nodded in dismissal and the office boy quickly went back out. At the same time, the door to the president's office was opened. A super tall carrot-top stepped out, his face was stoic and Zero admired his self control. Or maybe he was actually a man without expression.

"He wants you immediately," he said, his voice was deep and composed.

"Alright."

"Can I have some of your coffee?" the noble vampire asked, eyeing the coffee that was emitting delicious smell all around the room.

"Uh..." Zero scratched the back of his head.

"You haven't drunken it, have you?"

"N-no, but—"

"That's good." And, without further ado, he took the cup and sipped the content. "Delicious. Good night, Mr. Secretary." With that, he went out of Zero's room just the way the office boy did. The fuck?

"Kiryuu!" called the president. Zero hurriedly back in his tracks to the president's office.

"Yes?"

It was not a surprising view. The president's office was large, larger than any room in this building. There were bookshelves and cabinets, and also another door to his personal restroom. The curved part of the room was occupied by floor-to-ceiling glass, delivering the beautiful view of the busiest part of the city, where electricity made things brighter than the stars at night. A set of couches and coffee table was located near the shelves. The president's work table and chair was by the window. The desk lamp was on the floor, broken, the light bulb was shattered. Some papers were at the table's foot as well. The president was standing by his chair, buttoning up his ivory shirt; his belt was unbuckled and his hair was a mess.

"Clean the table and make sure no cleaner come to this room. Put any repellent spell you like."

Zero cringed in disgust. There were the remains of their high moment on the table and he wanted his secretary to clean that up? Don't think about how twisted it was. Zero thought that he would feel disgusted having to work on the table which your lover's semen had once stained.

"I don't want to," he said, in a rebellious tone.

The brunet narrowed his eyes, stopped in what he was doing. They glared at each other. "What did you say?"

"I don't want to, alright," Zero repeated. "I'm your secretary, not your fucking maid."

He almost regretted what he just said when he felt strong invisible hands clutching on his wrists and legs, immobilizing him. In the blink of an eye, the dishevelled president of the biggest vampire company in the whole world was in front of him, the tips of their noses were too disturbingly close.

"You are paid to do whatever I tell you to," he said in menacingly low tone.

Zero was confused. He didn't panic at all, and there was a strange feeling at deep down his chest. This stupid pureblood must be messing with his head. It was these damn creatures' specialty anyway. Zero refused to give in, glaring as wide as he could; his voice was not more than a mere whisper when he said,

"I may be working here, but it doesn't mean that I'm one of your followers."

The pureblood growled, but he retreated, releasing Zero of his powers. Zero stumbled forward, falling on his knees as he lost balance when suddenly the grip on his body was lifted. Zero didn't know what made the pureblood released him, but he was grateful the president didn't do anything further, or he would be put on trial on charge of murdering the world's greatest pureblood.

"You just don't want the cleaning officers finding out that making out in the office was one of your sick hobbies," Zero said, stroking his wrists. "And they're the worst gossipers ever."

"If you understand that much then why don't you do as I say?"

"It's disgusting. It was revolting enough when I had to mop the floor the other day. I don't want any more of that," Zero stuck out his tongue.

"Well, just as you said: the cleaners are the worst gossipers ever. Surely the gossip about us making out will spread all over the building."

Zero blinked. "Sorry, but, gossip about us? _**Us**_?"

The pureblood smirked and it irked Zero. "Well, your office is connected to mine, and voices from here can be heard clearly at your place. Surely, knowing my reputation, no one will think that I'd do such things when people could hear, won't they? That leaves the only available option, that you whore yourself to me."

It astonished Zero. Of course, it was only one possibility that the cleaning ladies would think of him as the president's bitch, but that was the point. It was possible that if anyone knew, his name would be the one mentioned and cursed the most in the whole building. Most of the employees, men and women, in this building were the president's loyal fans. Knowing some level D could get access into his pants might not be a good thing for Zero.

"Is this the do-me-a-favour-and-you-won't-regret-it strategy?" he said in disbelief.

"Sort of," President Kuran shrugged his shoulders. He tucked his shirt into his trousers and then slipped into his jacket. The morning rays had begun to break through the large windows. It was dawn already. It was time for the president to go home, and that means, the cleaning ladies would operate in a few moments.

The president stalked past Zero. His hand was on the door knob when Zero asked, venom in his voice.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"If you care so much for your reputation, why let me be your witness? I'm a hunter; I'm not your people."

"You've just said it. You're not my people, there's no reason for me to look respectable in front of you. Besides, you're not the type to gossip."

The president then gave his secretary the best smirk of the day and walked out.

Impotent bloodsucker, Zero swore. He glanced at the table. He felt sick already.

(*-*)

It's been a month since he worked at the biggest vampire-led company in the world namely Clan Group. Seriously, he couldn't find any more tasteless name than that.

The president of the company, of course, was the vampire prince Kuran Kaname. He took over the company from his uncle's grip at the age of eighteen and banished his uncle from the society when he was at it. Even Zero knew about the infamous pureblood through his hunter education. Kuran Rido was the last authoritarian in the vampire society and his people hated him. The vampire world calmed down after Kaname defeated him in every battle possible, making him the social outcast and sending him to the depth of the forest where no one could find him. Some people said he should just kill him. Zero thought the young pureblood just couldn't kill his uncle, he might be out powered. What the young hunter didn't know was that Kaname was too soft of a person.

Sometimes Zero regretted having accepted the job, and sometimes he was grateful.

When he was a human child, being a hunter was not his outmost dream. It might sound ridiculous, but he didn't see the hunter job was that promising. Besides, he liked simplicity. A job that paid was enough for him. No need to be rich, no need to be glamorous. Just ordinarily happy. Seeing his parents had to wake up upon emergency calls in the middle of the night... it was just normal for him to want a normal human job when he became an adult.

After he was changed, that dream didn't vanish. That's why after high school he entered the university. Most of his hunter friends mocked him, for high education was not needed in their line of work. But Zero stubbornly carried on. Maybe there'd come time when he retired from his level E-hunting job and settled down. Having a family was risky if you were a hunter. That's what happened to his family, anyway. He didn't need to experience it the second time.

That's why when his master told him that the association needed someone to work from behind the table, he accepted it. He just didn't know that he was given a position of being a pureblood's secretary. His master said the association needed someone to watch over the vampire world from the inside. Zero didn't know there was this kind of job in the association, but apparently he wasn't the first. His predecessors dropped out only after a few days working. The president of the HA thought that the pureblood might've done something to those hunters and then raised the mission code.

At first Zero thought the association was exaggerating things. However, after the second night he worked, he understood why the other hunters didn't want to continue. As far as Zero knew, they weren't the type to be interested in someone else's sex life.

Zero wondered why Kaname liked doing it in his office very much. His partners were never the same for two nights straight, but there were only four of them: a short blonde with icy-blue eyes who always glared disgustedly at Zero, another blond with kind face and bright smile, a pretty boy whom Zero knew as a model, and was in pretty high demand recently, and then the super tall stoic guy. Kaname topped the first three, but he bottomed the stoic guy. Zero could see why the president let that stoic guy dominate him. He had the _male lion's aura_.

Well, to sum it up, Zero was the only one who could last this long working for that spoiled pureblood. And having his position doubled, on top of that: being the secretary and the cleaning lad.

It was no wonder that he always went straight to bed when he reached home.

(*-*)

Zero woke up with a start at the electric cuckoo sound. His hand groped around to until he touched the top of his bird-shaped alarm clock. He put pressure on it and the buzzer stopped. His eyes were still closed, but his mind was fully awake.

Waking up for Zero was not a major issue, usually, but it was major when he had to wake early on the day when he had special appointments. Pushing his body into sitting position, Zero frowned deeply as he tried to recall whether he had any _special appointment_ tonight. His phone on the bedside table suddenly rang.

"Kiryuu," he slurred after pushing the receive button.

The familiar, authoritative tone came through, "They came a little early. I'm expecting you to be in the office in thirty minutes." There was an engine sound in the background. Maybe the boss was in his limo, on his way to the office.

That shot his eyes open. He remembered he was supposed to accompany his boss in the dinner meeting with some other company's president tonight. Well, it was breakfast meeting for their time, but the president they were going to meet was human. His corporation had developed pretty rapidly in the last five years and they were planning on expanding their business; therefore they were seeking alliance with the Clan Group.

Zero leapt into his bathroom and turned the shower. The information about that company that he had read two days ago surfaced. He remembered that Kaname once said he wasn't interested in that company's vision and considered refusing the partnership proposal. However, two days after he said that, he changed his mind. He didn't say anything about the reason, though. But Zero didn't care. He was there to watch the vampire world and give annual reports to the association, not to help maintain the company in good shape. Anyway, if it was a human company, maybe he'd try a little harder.

After he finished rinsing his hair and body, he stepped out of the shower and trotted towards the sink. He looked at his own reflection, checking any signs of beard or moustache he needed to shave. None whatsoever. He never had any facial hair except his eyebrows, and the people in the association blamed it on his vampirism. He didn't complain, to be honest. He watched his father shaving a few times back, and sometimes he'd bleed when he wasn't careful enough. It looked painful.

No matter how grown up or strong you are childhood fears are not something to be taken lightly. Sometimes the thoughts he had or taught when he was a child still control some of his decisions even today. Like if you don't brush your teeth before bed you'd have cavities and that cavities hurt... Even though he was a big man now and could take mortal wounds, the thought that cavities hurt still made him eerie.

Zero brushed his teeth swiftly, but not with vampire speed. It was funny when he found out that having vampire speed didn't mean things could be done with speed. He tried typing with vampire speed the other day and the keyboard broke. Maybe Kaname should expand his business too, like, building a vampire-dedicated machines manufacturer. Yeah, he thought as he gargled, maybe that's going to be a good idea.

Ten minutes had passed and he was ready to go. He scanned his room for the last check before going it. With one soft click the door was locked and then he ran down the stairs.

Zero lived in a cheap apartment thirty minutes walk to the office. He always walked to and from the office. When he needed to be fast, like today, he would run. It was uncomfortable to run in a suit but he had no choice. He disliked bringing many things out of his house. He didn't have many things to begin with. So even though his clothes would feel stuffy when he reached the office after running, he didn't want to take spares. The office had air conditioner anyway, and he could ask someone to give him a spray of cologne if he was too stinky.

Zero was an ex-human, everyone in the office knew that. However, they didn't know that Zero was a hunter. It wasn't like he showed off his gun to anyone who'd want to see. The association didn't tell him to keep it a secret, but he thought keeping quiet about his 'side job' was right. Who knows if one of these employees had a grudge on the hunters and attempted to kill him in a quiet place? Keyword: attempt. Like he'd let a bloodsucker kill him.

That was why everyone looked down on him. He didn't mind it. He didn't care anyway. If you had a boss who always chose to be loud during his make out sessions in the office next to your station, their attitude towards you would be the last thing you'd worry about.

"Mmh! Hmph!" Zero heard muffled screams from the boss' office. He almost facepalmed. He sighed, going around the table to get to his chair. His boss had come veeeeeeeery early and this was the first thing he did?

"K-kaname-sama... oh God..."

There were sounds of something—or someone—being pushed into one of the shelves and rattling sounds as the books trembled in their place.

"Kaname-sama... someone's here..."

"Yeah, the secretary. Don't mind him. Focus only to me."

"O-mmh-okay..."

That's it! Zero slammed the table with his fist. Once the boss finished with his shit, he'd have to hear him out. Zero pressed on the computer's power button and the cooling fan started to rotate, giving out buzzing sounds. The LED monitor in front of him blinked and then came the black screen and the loading bar.

"AAAAHHH!" the boss's guest screamed in ecstasy. From his voice, Zero knew it was the blonde with the bright smile. Zero always felt something similar to sharp pain whenever the bright-smiled blonde came. He felt that the noble was too gentle to be used as a sex toy. As if one little heartache would break him up. He deserved something better. Moreover, sometimes he'd look sad when he got out of the office.

It was only five minutes and the door to the boss's room opened. The blonde came out, limping a bit. The boss must have had fucked him pretty hard.

"Hey," he greeted, before Zero nodded in acknowledgement to him. "Nice tie," he pointed out. Zero couldn't help but look at his tie. His tie was slightly loose but he doubted it looked wrong. But, hey... was it irony? He felt fine with the colours... didn't he?

Though, before he started pondering on his tie, his boss called from the office. He prayed silently, hoping the boss wasn't going to tell him to _clean_ up again. He couldn't bear cleaning those things twice a day. Once was perverse enough. Even though he couldn't argue with the pureblood about that. It was definitely a different day for vampires.

"What?" he grumbled, coming in without knocking. Anyway, he was a little surprised seeing the office was still neat and the boss was looking as if he hadn't doing anything that would normally make him unkempt.

"You're a bit fast. I was expecting you to come about five minutes later."

"And because you thought that I was going to come five minutes later it was good to have a five-minute sex in your office when anyone other than me could have come to my work station and heard you?" Zero prattled.

"No one would come. It's still early. And besides, I didn't plan it. Takuma came to talk about something."

"Yeah, I heard you talk pretty loud. It was a little one-sided though. That blonde was sure loud."

Kuran Kaname crossed his arms. "It's not your place to criticize me, or him, Mr. Secretary."

"Yes it is, you jerk," Zero retorted, also crossing his arms. Actually, crossing his arms wasn't his habit when he scolded someone, but he did it to mimic the pureblood so he felt that they were on the same level. "I've decided. I'm not going to do it this way anymore."

Kaname's eyes narrowed. He seethed, "What way?"

"Like this, being the passive participant in your love-making sessions, having to endure listening to all those disturbing noises and have to cover up for you. I'm sick of it. I finally understand why your previous secretaries preferred to be on the battle ground than stuck in that rat's hole like a good mole!"

"That last part rhymes," Kaname pointed, but he smirked. Zero dreaded his expression. "But I didn't expect you to feel that way. I'm sorry I should have been a little more considerate."

"Yeah, you shou—EH?" Zero was dumbfounded. So it was actually that easy to tell the egoistical pureblood to stop doing that unhealthy habit? He should've done it from the beginning!

Kaname stepped forward while pocketing his hands. He glanced at the clock atop the fireplace, the gold-framed clock which he bought from a famous clockmaker in Switzerland for... Zero didn't know the exact price, but he heard it was around one thousand dollars. Something was stuffed in it, they say.

"There's still time," he said calculatingly. He stopped in front of Zero, too close that the tip of his shoes touched Zero's. Zero instinctively moved back, but Kaname kept advancing. Zero almost yelped when his heel met the wall, the door was to his left, ajar. His heartbeat picked up speed as Kaname leaned onto him, one hand pressed on the wall beside him.

"Time for what?"

"For taking care of your small problem," Kaname whispered. His left hand touched Zero's crotch. The silver-haired hunter cursed, but the dirty words disappeared into nothingness when Kaname silenced him with a kiss.

(*- **TBC** -*)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: see chapter 1.

Dhinx's note: uwah. Never thought there'll be so many alerts in my inbox after I posted the first chapter. Thank you! This is the first time for me posting chapters without much planning (my rule is, usually, write a few chapters before posting one); it feels like I'm going into a Haunted House *shivering excitedly*. I'm sorry for any grammatical errors, misspellings/ typos, wrong use of word, etc, but I'll try my best to minimise them and to not repeat the mistakes :D

(*- **Chapter 2** -*)

Those warm lips pressed forcefully and he couldn't help but to obey. He regretted it the moment he parted his lips. The soft, wet muscle invaded his private cavern, touching everything it could touch, pushing his own tongue down his throat. He couldn't lose, so he fought back, trying to stop that invader, but he was too weak. It was so intense that he had forgotten the pleasure that was starting to build up in his lower region. It was when the assaulter retreated slightly and he caught for air when he felt his member was hardening. Something was massaging it skilfully and it had grown at least twice its normal size. It throbbed, straight as a pole, painfully wanting a release.

Just after he could fill his lungs with a deep long breath, those lips were back and the kiss was deepened all over again. He leaned back to the hard surface behind him, his eyes rolled back in its sockets, his brain could not register anything other than pleasure, and that he wanted more. Something in the back of his head screamed warnings. However, that voice was a blur, like someone shouting from a ship floating miles away, subdued by the whirring ocean and the gusting wind. He almost couldn't hear anything.

The mouth retreated, leaving him agape and longing. The skilful hand gripped his member tightly, rocking it, teasing it. Those fingers enveloping him, each of them was of different temperatures, giving him the weird but pleasurable waves of feelings. As his mouth was left alone, he could finally assess the state his body was in. His joints felt like nonexistent, his limbs turned to jelly. He couldn't stand. He gripped that man's shoulder for support. The soft dark brown tresses caressed his cheek as the man leaned down on his shoulder; that strong, seductive tongue lapped on his neck, sweeping from his clavicles up to his jaw in a long wet trail.

The light of the office was bright it was blinding. Zero closed his eyes, and now he could see darkness with red and green spots afloat around him. He felt dizzy. How could Kuran stand it? The brightness could have killed his vision. And the room is so goddamn hot...

Zero frowned. Something was not right. The hotness didn't come from outside, it was from the inside. He was on fire; there was fire in him, blazing fiercely and ready to eat him alive. He started perspiring again, drops of sweat trickling down his face.

The bright light and the scent of his perspiration snapped him back to reality. His eyes opened wide, glaring at the lamps on the ceiling.

"Kuran, st-stop!"

He hated how needy and helpless he had sounded, but he could lament over it later. The brunet chuckled, his breath cooled down the trail of his saliva on Zero's neck, making the silveret shiver almost violently.

"Isn't this what you've been wanting all the time, Kiryuu?" he purred in low voice.

Zero pushed one hand on the pureblood's shoulder, but Kaname gripped it and locked it on the wall. Zero snarled, despite the urge to moan because the massage on his manhood was intensifying.

"Fuck you!"

"I think it's the other way around."

"Let me go or I'll shoot."

"Come on, we both know the world can't lose its best pureblood."

"I don't care."

"How selfish you are."

"I think it's the other way around."

And before Kaname could lock his lips in another hot kiss, he banged his head on the brunet as hard as he could. Zero didn't see, but it felt like he got the pureblood in the nose. The grip on him loosened, both on his wrist and his groin. He didn't waste the chance to take out his gun from his inside pocket and point it to that dark brown head.

"Hey!" Kuran screeched, hands in the air, blood was dripping from his nose.

Zero's eyes flashed red. The brunet didn't look pained; the wound must have healed. Two drops of blood dripped down past his mouth and chin, staining his suit, staining the floor below. The president closed his eyes for two seconds as he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He cursed under his breath and walked towards the restroom. Zero followed him with his gaze, the weapon in his hands didn't waver, even though his blood lust was escalating and his fangs throbbed beneath his clammed shut lips.

At the door to the toilet, the president looked through his shoulder,

"Clean the blood on the floor," he said, "and prepare the documents for the meeting. I'll be ready in five minutes."

Zero lowered down his gun, and just then he realized he had held down his breath. Now he panted like someone who had run a hundred miles an hour. The smell of blood lingered, but it had receded, because the blood on the floor had dried and the president had washed his hand and face.

Zero held his head close to his chest, his heart still beating rapidly. What the hell just happened?

(*-*)

The 'dinner' went smoothly and both parties agreed to talk more about it on the weekend. The human president said that he could have his personal boat be readied to host their meeting and President Kuran agreed with fake interest. He disliked boats, but he was too lazy to suggest another meeting place. The human came home with a little hope in his heart.

It was almost midnight when they were out of the five-star restaurant. Zero followed his boss half a step behind, holding the folder given by the human president to his chest. He cringed at the thickness of the content, recalling that his job now was to sort the information in it and submit a report out of it tomorrow. After a month working for the president, it was his first time seeing that many reports stacked in one folder, and he wondered if he could get any sleep today.

"Don't forget about it," the president said as he slid into the limo. He gave the secretary a meaningful look, which made the silver top fidgeted subtly.

"Alright," Zero muttered, although he was not sure what the president meant by _don't forget_. Was it the document, or something that happened between them before the meeting? The driver swiftly moved to the other side of the car to open the door for Zero. Zero mumbled a thank you and shook his head.

"No, um... I'm going to just walk," he said carefully. The president raised an eyebrow, which vanished behind his dark brown bangs. The look in his eyes was knowing it troubled Zero. Zero looked at his watch theatrically. "Look, it's almost lunch time. I'm going to have something on the way. I'll be at the office on time, don't worry."

Kaname nodded, realizing that it was time for lunch for them. They had just gotten out of a restaurant, but Zero didn't join him in the meal, having to stand by him and listened to all the conversation as if he was a tape recorder. Kaname, too, heard the low growl in the younger vampire's stomach a few times. He must be starving.

Zero was relieved that the president nodded, but not for long, because the pureblood suddenly got out of the limo and stood beside him.

"I didn't pay attention to your needs, Kiryuu-kun. I'll accompany you to your lunch. My treat," he said, in apologising tone. Zero almost jaw-dropped. What in the world happened to his boss? He never saw the pureblood looking guilty before. Zero searched in those claret orbs, hoping that maybe the boss was feeling guilty for forcing himself on him in the office, but found nothing. There was only the guilt for letting him standing for four hours without even a drop of water.

So the boss didn't feel wrong for touching his subordinate that way, huh?

"No need, Sir," Zero said as polite as possible, hoping his boss would just let him go. "The place I'm going to go might not suit your taste. It'll be too much trouble on your part."

President Kuran smiled. Zero hated that smile. He played along with the sudden politeness. "Oh no, not at all. Moreover, it'll be more advantageous for me if you're going to a cheap place."

"Really, Sir, I—"

"You can go back first, I'll call you when we need you," Kaname said to the driver, making Zero's upper lip twitched. Much to his distress, the driver nodded and then the limo went away, leaving the two good-looking vampires standing side by side in front of the fancy restaurant. Kaname turned to Zero, smiling smugly. "Lead the way."

"You're really impossible, you know that?" Zero snapped, but he walked first anyway, leading the way. He couldn't stay there keeping on arguing with the oddly excited pureblood.

"Where did the politeness go?" Kaname bared his teeth; it was obvious that the whole situation was amusing for him. Zero, on the other hand, felt like shooting Bloody Rose somewhere. Preferably at the gleeful brunet beside him. "To tell you the truth, I haven't gone to cheap places so I guess following you there will be a new worthy experience."

Zero wanted to bang Bloody Rose to that oh-so-soft dark tresses until the skin beneath it torn open and bleed, and then step on that haughty face ten times until it was unrecognisable, and then shoot at it until the skull exploded. He smiled darkly as the image of Kuran turning into dust and then blown away by the night wind filled his mind. He was too immersed in his own imagination he wasn't aware of Kuran's sudden closeness.

"Is thinking of me dead that pleasant to you?" said the president, his eyes blinked innocently, reminding Zero of a lost kitten.

"As a matter of fact, yes, Kuran," Zero muttered. He wondered, were his thoughts displayed clearly on his face?

"I'm hurt."

"Stop the child-like tone. You're grossing me out. And don't say 'cheap' anymore."

"I really want to fuck you, you know."

"Oh God..."

"You tasted good, and your reaction was delightful. Can I have more?"

"Is there anything you think about other than sex?" the hunter exclaimed. How could the pureblood speak such things in such a manner, as if they were talking about what they were going to have for lunch? "You're a reliable and charismatic person when you speak with your fellow businessman! Can't you uphold that behaviour even when we're alone?"

"Did you just praise me?"

Zero sighed. "Dear God..."

They turned left at the intersection. There was a fast food restaurant open just a hundred meter ahead; the only place which opened 24/7. Actually Zero preferred ramen to burgers, but since the ramen shop was closed as it was midnight, the fast food restaurant was the only place he could go. Even though someone very rich was going to pay his meal, he didn't feel like going to a fancy place like the restaurant earlier.

Usually, he ordered a cup of coffee from the pantry for lunch, because the foods in the cafeteria were just way above his limits. It wasn't that his salary was low. No, in his position as the president's secretary, his salary was pretty high. Not to mention the money he got from the association. But he wanted to save up to buy a land in the country. A land where he could build a house and maybe a small farm. It was one of his dreams.

They arrived in front of the fast food. The parking lot was empty and there were a few people inside. None of them wore suits like Zero and Kaname, but that was not a problem. Zero could feel excitement from the person behind him, and somehow he felt funny. Zero bit the inside of his cheeks to keep his expression straight until he reached the counter.

"I want Set B and Set D without the cokes, super size iced lemon tea, and bento Set B," Zero voiced his order. He glanced at Kaname. "You're really going to pay this, right?"

Kaname looked distraught. "Oh, yeah, sure. How much?" he asked the cashier.

"And a cup of coffee," Zero added before the cashier mentioned the amount the vampire prince had to pay.

After Kaname paid for everything, Zero took the tray containing a cheese burgers, a super size french fries, a chicken drumstick with rice, and a big serving of iced lemon tea. The bento and coffee would be delivered to their table immediately.

"Are you really going to eat all that?" Kaname asked, eyeing the food in the tray in his secretary's hands with awe.

Zero snorted. "Come on, you ate a full course at the restaurant earlier and you think this is too much?"

They took the seat by the window and Kaname sat across the table. "It was consisted of an appetizer, the main dish, and a dessert. Yours are... all main dish!" Kaname pointed out.

"Men should have big appetite," Zero stated, grabbing the chicken drumstick, "so that they have enough energy to work."

Zero ate fast that he had finished the drumstick and rice when the bento and coffee came. The waiter smiled widely and wished them to enjoy the meal and then left. Zero pushed the coffee at Kaname.

"It's for you."

"Oh?" Zero almost laughed when he saw the genuine surprise in Kaname's eyes. It was child-like.

"Don't look as if I'm treating you. You're the one who pay all this. You can have the fries, too," Zero added.

"You're right," Kaname said, sipping his coffee. "Thanks anyway." He nodded and helped himself to the french fries. "It tastes a little different that the chips I had earlier."

"Of course it's different," Zero replied sourly.

(*-*)

They went back to the office by the limo. Zero didn't want to take the same ride as the pureblood—preferred running to sitting in the back of the limo where the perverted boss of his could do anything as he pleased—but seeing that going back from that place needed half an hour by feet (with vampire speed), Zero couldn't protest. Zero kept his hand at his rear where he could feel the assuring hardness of Bloody Rose inside his jacket. He never really thought of killing Kuran—okay, he contemplated on it a few times when the pureblood was being unbearable—but knowing that he could defend himself from the pureblood's unsightly ministrations was relieving.

Kaname did try to seduce him in his car: sitting disturbingly close, a finger always found its way to touch strange parts of his body. Zero wondered why the pureblood didn't use his power to paralyze him. He found the answer right away. The boss just liked teasing him. Zero scowled at himself upon thinking about it, but maybe his chastity wasn't in that much of a danger after all.

They arrived at the office at the same time with the other employees that came back from their breaks. They bowed at the president, and the playful Kuran Kaname had been swapped with the charismatic and charming leader once again. He nodded back at his employees and murmured thanks when they backed out from the elevator, letting him and Zero used it first.

The elevator went up slowly. Zero leaned his back at the mirror in the back of the lift, pocketing his hands. His gaze was locked on the number display above the doors, stating the floor they just passed. Twenty floors left...

Suddenly, Kaname was in front of him and his hands were resting on the mirror, at Zero's sides. The alarm in the back of Zero's mind rang aloud in the presence of danger. They looked at each other. Kaname's claret eyes were now blood red, his fangs were growing slowly.

"What the—"

Kaname inched closer, and in no time, their lips were locked. Zero's heart beat accelerated. Kaname's tongue licked his lips, prying them open. Zero complied almost willingly. The alarm was shut off. He could only hear the rushing flow of blood in his jugular veins. Kaname pressed his body forward, grinding their erection. He slid his knee between Zero's thighs, swaying his hips seductively. His hands left the mirror and started groping around Zero's chest and abs. One hand moved upward, one moved downward.

Zero tried to break their contacts, but he couldn't. He was out powered. Or maybe he was enjoying all of this as much as his pureblood assaulter. But neither of them mattered, because now his buttons and zipper was undone. And so did Kaname's.

How did the pureblood undress them so fast?

Their cocks met. Kaname broke the kiss; a trail of saliva still connected them. He took their erections together in his hands. Zero moaned. It was even more intense than what they had in the office earlier. Kaname began kissing and licking on his neck, grazing his fair skin with those sharp fangs, sending shivers down his spine.

Kaname's hands felt slick and slippery; they were covered in precum. The scent of arousals filled the air. Zero was close. Kaname's velvety lips were now stopped at his chest, sucking at his nipple teasingly. Zero looked around. They were still in the elevator, for God's sake! The number above the doors said 20. They were only three floors away!

"Kuran, stop it!" Zero's voice was not more than a moan. "We're almost... there..."

"Mmhm..." the president hummed, clearly didn't listen to his words at all.

"Kuran!"

Two floors away...

"Kuran, seriously, there might be people standing in front of the doors when they ope—ahh..." Kaname just sucked hard at his other nipple, which hardened and wanted more attention.

One floor away...

"Kura—ahhhh!"

The _din_ sound of the elevator reaching its destination was subdued by Zero's scream as he reached his climax.

(*-*)

For real? Zero groaned mentally when he felt wetness on his boxers. I feel like a middle schooler, he sighed. The difference was that he was all alone in his apartment now, and he didn't need to sneak into the bathroom to wash his pants.

But, seriously, the dream felt too real. It was as though he wished for it to actually happen. Of course he didn't wish for it to actually happen. That's just sick. And besides, the boss never tried anything too damaging to him. Just teased him enough for him to draw out his gun. And the fun usually ended at that, with Zero angrily pointing Bloody Rose at Kuran while the latter laughed his stomach off. Okay, teasing him wasn't 'just'. He loathed it. But to dream that the president went much further... It couldn't be that he actually wanted it, right?

Zero rinsed his pants off the detergent and sighed. Maybe it was a good thing dreaming about it anyway. It's much better that it happened in the dream and not in the real life, right? And he got to release the pent up frustration in his groin anyway. He wondered whether he could see his boss in the face anymore after that strange dream.

(*-*)

It had been days since the meeting on the human president's boat and the agreement on the project between the two companies. Zero's job regarding the evaluation of that company, in order to decide whether it would benefit the Clan Group to work on the project, was done, so he had reverted back from summarizing thick documents to organizing his boss's agenda. That means he had more time to sleep for the time being, and could go to his office a little late than the usual office hour (the president always came two to three hours late, anyway).

Zero was going to hit the up elevator button when he spotted the bright-smiled Blondie sitting in the lobby. Without much thinking, he strolled towards the lonely-looking man. He looked deep in thought; his eyes were strained on the newspaper on the coffee table but he didn't look like he was reading it.

"Hey," Zero greeted a bit too casually. The blondie was startled, but he calmed himself down quickly. He gave Zero his trademark smile.

"Hey, Kiryuu-kun. Nice tie," he pointed out.

Today Zero wore black shirt and black trousers and pearl white tie. He made sure that he looked fine with the colours, so Blondie should be praising him.

"Thank you. Are you waiting for the president?" he asked. The blonde didn't work for the company, so there was no other reason for him to be in the Clan Group building than for meeting the president.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"He won't come until at least two hours later."

"I know."

Zero raised an eyebrow. Blondie smiled at his puzzled look.

"Come sit beside me, Kiryuu-kun. If you're not busy?"

Zero shook his shoulders and took seat beside Blondie. He folded the paper and put it under the table.

"I wonder if you remember me, Kiryuu-kun? I attended Cross Academy. I was in the same year as Kaname, and I was the vice dorm leader."

Actually, Zero didn't remember. There were only two students he remembered from Cross Academy, and one of them was Kuran Kaname. Who could forget about him? He was the leader of the Night Class, and he often crashed at the chairman's house for dinner (breakfast) together.

Seeing the troubled look in Zero's eyes, Blondie laughed.

"You don't remember, do you? I'm easily forgotten. I didn't stand out like Kaname after all. I'm Ichijou Takuma."

Zero shifted. "Why are you here so early, if you know that the president isn't here yet?"

Ichijou shrugged. "I don't know..."

Zero studied his melancholy expression thoroughly. Something was troubling this noble vampire, and it should concern Kuran, since he was here to see him. Zero took a deep breath. The pureblood might've made a mistake.

"Have you been... um..." Zero cringed, looking for a better word, but didn't find any, "in this relationship with the president for a long time?"

To his surprise, Takuma didn't even bat his eye at the sensitive topic.

"Well, for a while. We started going out when we entered university," he said, his voice was distant and longing. "It was only me back then. Then Hanabusa walked in on us one day and he got very jealous of me. Do you remember Aidou Hanabusa? The nosiest person in the Night Class ever. He always greeted the Day Class girls cheerfully and sometimes gave more trouble on you and Yuki."

Zero sort of remembered there was someone like that in the Night Class, but he didn't remember the detail. He wasn't interested, anyway.

Ichijou continued, "Well, after he found out about us, he came to Kaname to talk. Kaname accepted him, I guess. That's why he ended up being Kaname's partner just like me. I don't know the story about Senri and Akatsuki, though. It was surprising to know that the two of them also got tangled up in this mess."

"You don't sound too happy about that," Zero said matter-of-factly.

Ichijou shook his head. "I don't, Kiryuu-kun. At first I thought I was special. But then the others came, and I found out that Kaname didn't see me as more than just a sex friend."

Zero rubbed his nose. "And you sound like you're in love with him."

Ichijou raised his gaze to meet Zero's. They looked at each other, their eyes open wide as if they were surprised to see each other in the lobby of Clan Group. Zero didn't know what to say; he couldn't read into those eyes. Ichijou stared at him for a few seconds, until he suddenly chuckled and his gaze softened.

"Love? I'm not sure if it's love," he said, sadness was apparent in his tone and somehow Zero felt the urge to pull him into a tight hug and console him. Hey, that sounded very gay! Zero smacked his forehead mentally. "But I think you're not too far-fetched," Ichijou added, as he stood up. He reached out a hand and tapped on Zero's shoulder. "I think I'm not going to meet him today. Thanks for the... uh... warm talk, Kiryuu-kun. See you."

And then Ichijou went towards the exit, leaving Zero thinking deeply on the story he just heard.

So his suspicion was correct. The blonde was too good for his boss to toy with. The first time Zero saw the man walking past his office to the boss's place, Zero thought that it was such a waste. He looked kind and truthful; someone like him shouldn't become some pervert's plaything. It was undeniable that the pureblood didn't like him the way he did. If there was a tiny bit of love for the poor blonde, Zero was certain, Kuran wouldn't do such intimate acts with other people. The problem was that that incorrigible bastard wasn't capable of loving, Zero was sure of it. The Kuran he knew from high school was like that, too. Selfish, egocentric, insufferable. If you weren't one of his worshippers, then you could only be his enemy.

After hearing Ichijou's version of the story, Zero became curious of what the pureblood would say about it. Maybe he could ask about his affairs with the red-head model and the tall super seme, too? Zero shook his head. Why should he care anyway? That jerk could do whatever he liked and Zero wouldn't give a damn.

"What are you doing, shaking your head like you're in some cheap club?" a deep voice startled him from behind. He cursed as he turned around to see his boss grinning from ear to ear.

"I am not," Zero growled. "You're early."

"I have an early appointment," the president smiled meaningfully, walking towards the elevator.

"If your appointment is with that Ichijou-guy, you're late. He just went home a few minutes before you showed up."

Kaname pressed the button and waited. The elevator was going down from the sixth floor. "Really? Did you speak with him?"

"A little," Zero said a bit warily, the tone Kaname used was a little unnerving.

"What did you speak about?"

Zero looked at the floor number. "Well..." Floor 4... Floor 3... He sighed. "He told me about when you two started... going out."

"Ah, that."

"Looks like he has a thing for you."

Kaname snorted. "Everyone has a thing for me, Kiryuu."

Zero stuck out his tongue. This pureblood's extreme narcissism was second to none, that's for sure.

Floor 2...

"I don't mean it like that."

"You mean, he loves me?" President Kuran laughed. "Takuma knows better than to fall for someone like me."

Zero looked at him, astounded. He wasn't sure, but he felt he saw remorse in the pureblood's expression. He couldn't pore over it too much because the elevator doors suddenly opened. Din! He averted his gaze away from his boss. There were two vampires in the car, looked like from the same division because their nametags had the same colour. They were talking about something so heatedly they didn't notice their president was standing in front of them. When they stepped out, one of them squeaked and then they bowed down murmuring sorry and the likes. The president dismissed them with a raise of hand and then they hurriedly walked away.

"Did you just being regretful?" Zero asked as he pressed the 23 button.

"I never regret anything, for your information," the pureblood answered inadvertently. However, and Zero doubt it was only his imagination, there was uncertainty in his aura. Like a flicker of a candle light.

"You should stop, you know," Zero said, without looking at the pureblood standing in front of him. He glared at his shoes, scolding himself. It wasn't his place to criticize the president, was it? He should have had a better self control. No, mouth control to be exact.

The president's figure stiffened, knowing what the ex-human meant. However, he didn't respond, acting as if the ex-human didn't say a word. Moments passed by before Zero couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer.

"Sleeping around with different people, I mean," he continued, and once again, he cursed his lack of control. President Kuran, this time, looked like agreeing with the small voice in the back of Zero's mind. He turned around, so fast that it overwhelmed the slightly shorter man, and in less than a second, his hand was on Zero's throat. Zero reacted on impulse, taking out his gun and pressed it on the pureblood's temple, his finger was ready to pull the trigger.

"What do you know, D?" Kaname hissed, his voice was filled with venom.

Zero knew he should feel threatened. The look in those wine-red eyes were feral, it was the look of a predator on his prey. But somehow his heart beat for a completely different reason. It reminded him of his dream just a while ago. What a masochist he had become.

"Let me go, bloodsucker," Zero snarled as menacing as he could.

Kaname said, "What do you know about me anyway? What do you know about them? You even forgot about them going to the same school! Why should you care now? Huh? Now what? You're trying to overrule me? You want me to stop sleeping with them? Looks like you want more than just being a _passive _participant, huh? Do you really want me that much?"

The pureblood added pressure on his hand, making Zero hard to breathe. Zero didn't know what he had to do first: telling the pureblood to let him go, or lower his gun. As he gasped for air, he picked the latter option, because he thought the brunet may release him if the threat on his life was removed. Because no matter what, he didn't feel murderous intent in the pureblood's aura.

Only a moment later he realized how wrong his decision was.

(*- **TBC** -*)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: see chapter 1.

Dhinx's note: here it is, a new chapter. I have written this chapter over and over again for the past two weeks and thought that it was no good so I rewrote it (like, changed three quarters of the content) in one night and here it is... I hope this won't be too much of a disappointment.

And thank you so much for reading! *happy tears*

(*-** Chapter 3** -*)

The moment he lowered his gun, Kaname grabbed his hand and he lose grip of Bloody Rose.

Zero twitched, not at the sharp glare from those wine red orbs which was freezing, or the low growl leaking from those thin, velvety lips, or at the words that were meant to provoke his anger, which the pureblood just blurted out earlier. Cursing mentally, Zero cringed as familiarity hit him. He reached deeper into his mind, trying to assess what was actually happening, because somehow, he felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach out of excitement.

What was he doing?

1. He was pinned to the wall.

2. The one pinning him was a pureblood.

3. They were in an enclosed room.

4. He had lost his weapon.

And why would he be excited?

Kaname, feeling the unexpected aura from the ex-human he almost strangled, smirked. "You like this, don't you?"

That snapped him out into reality. Giving the feral snarl, as intimidating as he could—because he was a hunter, dammit!—Zero breathed out,

"Aren't you the one who enjoys this?"

"I just said the same about you."

"S-and-M fetishist."

"So are you."

Of course, Zero had felt it too.

The brunet was angry. There was no way he would let anyone tell him off like that, and not to mention, someone as low as a level D vampire! It was the worst insult the likes of him could ever have, and he would give severe punishment to anyone who dared trample on his pride. But it was only one thing among an abundant emotion seeping out of the pureblood at the moment.

Zero was confused. Did he just press the wrong button? Did he just release the devil inside that angle guise? The dark, thick air emanating from the pureblood was something else altogether. However, Zero was certain of one thing. Kaname wasn't losing his composure. He was irritated, and he wanted nothing more than showing the ex-human his place. But he had a total control of what he was doing. Zero could see it, because those claret irises were scheming and confident.

"Let me go."

"You're not actually thinking that I'll do as you order."

"No, but I'll force you to."

"You like playing hard to get?"

Zero put more energy on his hand, hoping he would take Kaname off guard. No good. The pureblood strengthened the force on his fingers. He raised both Zero's wrists—with effort, but his face remained deadpan—until they were up above the silver locks. Zero hissed. This position was embarrassing. And he felt like he was being the submissive between two homosexual lovers.

Wait, wait, wait! He should undo that. No. Of course not! Absolutely. They. Were. Not. Lovers.

He hated vampires. He even hated himself. There was no way in hell he would fall for a vampire. Even though all the human in the world had turned into vampires, Zero would rather not loving anyone. Especially purebloods. There wasn't a chance he would feel something else than animosity towards those monsters...

was there?

And where did these thoughts about lovers came from?

It must be this motherfucker's doing, Zero determined.

He glared back at Kaname, who had stopped showing off his anger and amusement, and chose to be stoic. Zero pushed forward in attempt to shake his hands free. The pureblood didn't budge. He banged his head forward. Kaname saw it coming and pulled back; Zero's stone-hard forehead failed to connect to him. He wouldn't, of course, fall to the same trick twice. Besides, Zero's lavender eyes practically bared everything out.

Kaname pressed his body on the silveret, who breathed hard. Suddenly, and idea came into his conniving mind. He slipped his knee between Zero's thighs.

"Uhn!" the hunter quickly shut his mouth, immersing at the train of curses in the back of his head. But the damage was done. The pureblood smirked again, moving his knee in a way that would elicit the same response from the poor hunter.

Zero bit his tongue hard that it bled. He would not succumb to what the pureblood wanting him to. Besides, that one slip out could not be counted, right? The president was being unfair! Zero was caught unaware. It wasn't a proper fight!

Kaname kept on teasing Zero's manhood, knowing the hunter's defences would crumble anytime. He grinned wider when Zero turned his face to the side. His cheeks were flushing adorably, his eyes were shut tight. He would get what he wanted very soon...

What the pureblood didn't know was that the hunter had dreamt about it before. About them alone in the elevator, about him pressed into the wall, and about the smell of arousals filling the space like a thick toxic air.

Only that it felt much, much more real, and much, much more blissful.

"Strawberry," the pureblood suddenly said.

Zero opened his eyes, looking questioningly at his molester.

"You use strawberry-flavoured soap?"

The fuck?

"And shampoo, too," Kaname bent forward, sniffing at Zero's ear. "I didn't know you like those girly stuff. I guess it comes with your preference."

It just occurred to Zero that the pureblood was really sick.

"Are you done with me?"

"Hm?"

"Let me the fuck go!" the hunter cried.

_DIN!_

The elevator door opened. The both male vampires in the lift froze stiff. A female vampire, who was waiting in front of it, gasped and quickly covered her gaping mouth with both palms. Zero was too ashamed, and Kaname was too shocked to respond. No one did anything until the elevator door closed and the lift went back up.

It was then that the rumours about them started to spread, and they could do nothing about it.

(*-*)

Zero managed to avoid his boss for two whole nights. There was no appointment or meeting scheduled—not even a meeting with his lovers, so Zero didn't need to see and report to the pureblood. Kaname seemed to not want to have interaction with him either, at least for the moment. Zero didn't complain, though somewhere in his heart felt funny. Like it was being squeezed and tickled playfully.

It was just then that Zero realised being a salaryman was boring as hell. Coming to the office, turn on the computer and check for new e-mails or watch the business channel, check the boss's appointments for the week, work on the memos and documents, and then when it was dawn, went home and rest until the same routine repeat. He had to convince himself really hard that listening on his boss having sex through those large, twin doors was not making the dull life a little colourful.

He was not that kind of pervert, alright! He was not a pervert to begin with...

was he?

Zero groaned. _Go to hell, Kuran!_

Zero sighed for the millionth time as he watched the computer being turned off. The second dawn without exchanging words with the boss. He glanced at the boss's room direction, wondering what might the pureblood be doing at this time of the day. No sex for two nights in a row? Was the pureblood even capable of working without having any release? Zero scoffed. Why should he care, anyway?

He made a finger sign at the innocent doors and turned around. The boss would feel his aura distancing, anyway, so he'd know if he had left. After he checked that he didn't forget anything—mobile phone in the right pocket, wallet and apartment key in the left pocket, he went out.

Two other secretaries (Zero remembered they were the secretaries of the marketing division manager and the finance division manager) were standing in front of the elevator, talking to each other. Zero approached them slowly, not wanting them to feel his presence and give him the downgrading look. Even though he had the highest position among the secretaries—since he was the president's secretary—the other employees still treated him like trash. Not that it bothered him, but... well, sometimes one needed people to not badmouth them, right?

"... States, but I doubt she'd have learnt anything by the time she comes back," said the red-head, the finance manager secretary.

"She's still your boss, alright!" her friend, the marketing manager secretary, laughed.

"That's the worst part," the red-head growled sourly. "I wonder how can she be related to him? They're too far apart!"

"They look pretty much alike, if you ask me."

"Come on, you know that's not what I meant!"

"I heard they were raised separately, so maybe that's the reason why they're so utterly different. And by the way, my boss said she's coming back next month?"

"I really can't wait," the red-head said sardonically.

Zero pocketed his hands as he mulled over the bit of information he just heard. The finance manager was going back, it seemed. The last time Zero heard about her was that she worked from overseas because she went to USA for further education. She was the only upper echelon Zero hadn't known about. Hearing the two other secretaries talked bad about her, he became even more curious. And who was this _he_ they mentioned? Must be another board member, from the sound of it.

"Speaking of which, about that new gossip..." the red-head continued.

"Ah that!"

The red-head waved her hand in a belittling manner. "Seriously, I think it's a bull."

"That marketing girl only wants attention. I mean, is it possible for our Kuran-sama to be going out with an ex-human? I mean, I know he has a thing for the boss, from the way he looks at him. But for the boss to like him back?"

"There's no way! She should have thought of a better story if she wants to be heard."

"Haha, you're right!"

Zero cleared his throat in annoyance, and the two female secretaries squeaked and quickly closed their lips.

"'Scuse me," Zero snapped. The elevator came and he went into it. He pressed the close door button before the two women could get in.

(*-*)

Kuran should do inspections once in a while, he mused as he entered his apartment. When those people had time to gossip, then they should be given more job to work their arses off. Much more productive that way. Didn't they know that rumours could be very damaging? He had fingers pointed at him for the last two nights and saw those people were talking in low voices while laughing at him. Seriously, those bloodsuckers loved scandals as ants loved sugar. They needed a new form of entertainment.

And it didn't even occur to the boss to deny these false rumours.

Zero gritted his teeth. Surely, the pureblood didn't suffer any damage from it. It was what people would prefer to believe. If the pureblood they worshipped was found being in a compromising position with a low-level, it was all the low-level's fault. Zero was the one who seduced the president. Zero was the one who was madly in love with the president. Zero would go as far as cornering the pureblood in the elevator (really, he heard someone talking that _he_ was the one who pinned the other party in the elevator).

If he really wanted to make out with the pureblood, why should he pick the elevator, where people could walk in on them anytime? Logically, he would choose the boss's office if he ever wanted to do that, where people wouldn't hear (except if they went to the secretary's station).

Still cursing on his misfortune, Zero let himself be pulled into a restless slumber. Once again, his sleep was perturbed by the dark-haired company president.

(*-*)

(*-*)

(*-*)

He was surprised to see the orange-head closing the president's room's door when he entered the office two hours late. They looked at each other for a few brief seconds. Zero was hesitating, while the other was unreadable. Zero finally nodded at him courteously, and then made his way around the table to get to his seat. The taller main slipped his hands into the pockets in his leather jackets.

"The last time I met Takuma, he said you didn't remember me," he said coolly. Zero lifted his gaze from his computer.

"Uh..." That man didn't sound accusing nor displeased—but rather flatly—but Zero got the impression that he didn't like his forgetting very much.

"I'm not surprised that you don't remember me. I hate being in the spotlight, anyway. But it's a wonder how you could forget Hanabusa. Both of you quarrelled pretty often back then. Hanabusa is the blond runt, if you indeed don't remember."

"Ooh... well, I got a lot on my mind since you and the gang graduated," Zero scoffed a nervous laugh.

The fiery eyes flickered. "Since we're going to meet pretty often as long as you work for Kaname, knowing my name won't hurt. I'm Kain Akatsuki."

"Kiryuu Zero," Zero answered.

"I know. Can we talk?" he gestured outside with his thumb.

It was a little unexpected. What did one of the boss's partner want to talk with him about? He let his eyes wander to the door separating his and the president's offices. Following his glance, Kain said,

"Don't worry about him, he's showering. He won't be needing you for at least the next half an hour."

Showering? So they just did it already? This early? Zero tilted his head. "Fine then."

Zero put his computer to sleep and then followed the orange head outside. Kain kept his hands pocketed and walked with straightened out back and upward gaze. They encountered another male secretary, who nodded at Kain, but discreetly snorted at Zero.

Kain headed at lobby of the 23rd floor, which faced a similar view with the boss's office through a wall-sized window. Since only the upper echelons and their secretaries occupying this floor, the lobby had almost never been used. Sometimes one would stop by to look at the evening paper headlines, but never for longer than five minutes. It was a quiet place.

Kain took seat on the long couch which was directly across the windows. Zero picked the seat without back rest that's a bit far from the noble. Kain looked at him in scrutiny, but the ex-human only looked back at him with the same curiosity.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," Kain answered, mistaking what Zero meant.

"I mean, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Kain crossed his arms. "You've changed. A lot more polite."

Zero rubbed his neck, wasn't sure of what to say. "Am I supposed to say thank you?"

"No. I wasn't praising you."

Zero shot him a drop-the-prologue-I'm-fucking-busy look and Kain snorted.

"I want to talk about you."

"About me?"

"Yeah." Then Kain looked a lot more serious and placed his hands on his knees, bending over as if he was going to tell Zero a huge secret. "Since you've worked here for more than a month, I'm sure you've noticed Kaname's habit."

"Of course. Who wouldn't?" Zero responded a bit too fast. He averted his gaze.

Kain leaned back again. "To tell you the truth, I'm surprised."

"Because I could endure it for this long while the other hunters couldn't even last one week?"

Kain nodded. "Yeah. You're the thirteenth hunter I've known that the association sent to watch us. I have to admit, it's a brilliant move. But it's also unnerving that someone as good as you is watching Kaname.

"Tell me Kiryuu, what is your intention?"

Zero frowned. Was this guy just told him that he suspected him of planning to harm his precious vampire prince? Zero couldn't not feel discredited by that. Not only that it wasn't true, but also that he would never want to harm Kuran Kaname. Wait, what? Oh well, the important thing was that he had to clear some things up with this gangster-looking guy.

Oh yeah, he remembered! Of course he couldn't kill Kaname. That man was the one who kept the peace between human and vampire with his noble pacific causes. If Zero killed him now, the world could turn into chaos. Yeah, that's right (he felt a little better after finding a reason that made him could not kill the pureblood).

"Aside from money, I don't have any," Zero said monotonously.

Wait, that sounded very wrong! Kain narrowed his eyes, but he didn't seem satisfied.

"There must be something else you wish to gain from staying very close to Kaname."

It needed all the self control he had to keep him from yelling. "Well, of course there is, but it doesn't have to be something that will, for instance, kill Kuran, does it? And besides, whatever plan I have is out of your business. Now, if you have nothing important to ask, I'm going back to work." Zero stood up, somehow feeling irritated. He walked past the noble vampire, half stomping like a child, mumbling about being nosy and annoying.

"Kiryuu," Kain grabbed Zero's wrist as he passed him.

Zero turned at him, glaring saucers, obviously didn't like someone touching him that way.

"I'll keep an eye on you," he said, and then he, too, stood up and went, but towards the opposite direction.

"What's his problem?" Zero muttered as he watched Kain summoned the elevator, his tall figure leaning on the wall with eyes closed.

(*-*)

When he came back to his office, the phone rang. He picked it up with dread. The calls to his desk phone were always directed at the pureblood, meaning he would have to talk to the boss pretty soon.

His suspicion was right; the call was from the front desk, asking whether the president had asked a delivery service, because someone from the nearest ramen shop had come with two servings of miso ramen.

Zero groaned mentally. Saying he had to ask to president first, he cut off the call and sighed. There finally come the time to talk to his boss after nights pretending that he was working for someone who was invisible. Zero knocked at the door and heard no answer. Maybe the president was still showering and couldn't hear the knock, he thought, so he helped himself inside.

The office looked normal and didn't smell funny, like how it always did whenever one of his boss's lover came to visit. Zero heard the faint sound of water from the toilet. He was about to knock it when he heard the lock clicked and the door opened, exposing the brunet with only towel to hide his dignity. He looked surprised to see Zero there, and to say that the silver-haired hunter was surprised was an understatement. His boss was there, only wearing towel, his wet hair was outlining his graceful neck and the towel, which only covered him from the hips to a few inches above his knees, really left so little to the imagination. Kaname's litheness made him look feminine, but the firm muscles were unmistakably looked manly.

Zero was stunned.

It felt like more than two seconds until the pureblood finally talked,

"What are you doing here?"

"The front desk," Zero gasped out, "said a deliveryman had come and said that you ordered ramen."

"Ah, yes," Kaname nodded, didn't seem unfazed by the hunter's breathlessness. "I did call for delivery. Wait a second."

Kaname stepped out of the bathroom. The smell of his soap slowly filling the workroom and Zero's nose. As the hunter tried his best to keep himself under control, Kaname moved across the room the his table and grabbed the wallet on top of it. He took out a piece of money, waving it at Zero.

"Go down and give it to him. Tell him to keep the change."

_I have to go down twenty floors just to get his ramen?_

The pureblood always preferred people he didn't know to stay downstairs. Zero kind of understood that. Living as a successful young tycoon was no easy. There were always people with ill intentions around them, waiting for the moment they let their guard down.

And why did he want to eat ramen so suddenly? He even ordered two bowls of ramen! Was he going to eat it together with Kain? Or—assuming that he knew when the ramen would come and Kain wasn't going to be at his office by the time it arrived—maybe he wanted to eat them all alone? Zero couldn't imagine the pureblood ate two portions of ramen by himself. He didn't look that gluttonous.

Or perhaps he was just good at hiding it. He was a monster after all.

The deliveryman was old—and a vampire, to Zero's surprise—with wrinkles almost hiding his true face. He looked one thousand years old!

The old vampire reminded him of an old thought. Were they as immortal as people said? Because, they aged, right? And eventually, aged organisms would deteriorate.

After handing over the money and exchanging thanks, Zero then took the ramen upstairs. Kaname had dressed and was reading something on his tablet when he came. He raised his gaze a little as a sign that he was aware of Zero's arrival. The silveret put the two bowls of ramen on the table.

"Are you going to eat them all by yourself?" he asked out of curiosity.

Kaname pressed a button and put away the tablet. He pulled a bowl closer. "Why, do you want some?"

And Zero's stomach comically growl at the question. A slight smirk tugged on the pureblood's lips.

"N-no, that's not what I meant," Zero denied, one hand pressed on his stomach, as if scolding it.

"Take it," Kaname said.

"I said, that's not what I meant!"

"Doesn't matter. I ordered that one for you, anyway."

Zero was taken aback. "Huh?"

"If you're not going to eat it, dump it," Kaname warned, but still smirking. Zero scowled.

"You're so wasteful."

Kaname stopped in the middle of stirring his ramen. He frowned deep, making Zero nervous. Did he just say something wrong again?

"Akatsuki said, one way to make up is eating together," he said in a whisper that was barely audible, even for vampire ears.

"Huh?"

"And I thought, since both of us are busy, calling a delivery service would be a good idea."

"Huuuh?"

"And I thought since you like ramen, I ordered them."

"Huuuuuuuuh?"

Kaname whipped the wooden chopsticks on the table. "Can't you just give me a proper answer?"

Zero stammered. "W-well... I... I just didn't see it coming. I thought, you're not... Are you apologising to me?"

It was... well, he sounded a little too hopeful... but maybe, just maybe... the pureblood was lowering his pride, and supposed that his actions that night was too much, and then he felt guilty and then he went through all the trouble to order two bowls of ramen to apologise... Okay, maybe he was being too hopeful. Claret met lilac; something sparked.

The boss hurriedly avert his gaze at the fireplace. "Like I said, if you don't want it, dump it."

Zero almost smiled at the sight. His boss was looking away like a child being caught red-handed. He took the other bowl of ramen and nodded. He was hungry after all.

"Fine, I'll take it. Uh... thank you, I guess..."

"Kiryuu," Kaname called when Zero had his hand on the door knob, "cancel all my appointment for tomorrow, and also yours."

Zero felt his heart skip a bit. He didn't let it show on his face, none the less.

"Why?"

"We're going to meet a pureblood that's been creating level Es for the last two weeks."

(*- **TBC** -*)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer:

In Chapter 1 I said, "The only original thing in this is the plot."

But I've been wondering lately, whether it's really original or not. Those who have read my author's note in my previous stories might know that I stopped reading the manga ages ago and I kind of have forgotten most of the story. And I have been only reading fanfics for the last year that it influences me so much. So I won't deny any similarities with other author's fanfics, because they indeed inject a huge amount of ideas into my puny head.

But I write the story by myself without looking up to the stories I like, so any similarities aren't intentionally made so they become similar.

Aaah... what am I talking about?

Before I knew it, it's become a long disclaimer. Haha, sorry, everyone. ;_;

Dhinx's note: I want to make a fast update, and here it is. This is the part which I've been waiting eagerly to write (because an event in this chapter was planned to be in the second chapter, but then I realized things would be too abrupt that way). And I hope you find the OOC-ness enjoyable.

(*- **Chapter 4** -*)

Zero checked his gun and the backup bullets once again. His preparation before work this evening took a little longer time. He even checked his chin twice, for any signs of manly hair around it. And he found none whatsoever. He scrubbed his body a little harder, hoping the smell of soap on him would intensify. The job could be very physical and having taken a bath and wearing clean clothes would make things easier.

Zero smiled wide at his own reflection. He readjusted the tie around his neck, wondering whether he would take it off or let it hang around him when he get to the job. He disliked tie, but it made him look professional and handsome (yes, Zero was aware that he was handsome. That's why he couldn't understand why the high school girls didn't swoon over him like they did the night class). He disliked suit, too, but he couldn't go to his office wearing jerseys, right?

He leaned into the basin and sighed. The prospect of going out of town with Kuran tonight excited him.

No, no. Rephrase that.

The prospect of going out of town and killing bloody level Es tonight excited him.

But there would be Kuran in his vicinity so he couldn't help but trying to be presentable, right? Right? Kuran was his boss for now, after all.

Yagari had called him earlier in the afternoon to confirm whether he was going to the vampire hunt or not. Zero wasn't sure, but Yagari sounded worried. Like a father would his daughter knowing she would be spending the night with a man.

No! Zero shook his head. Of course his teacher would be worried; he was going into a pureblood's lair, not to mention with another pureblood to boot.

"Zero, do you want another hunter to accompany you?" Yagari had asked.

"No, Sensei. I can manage."

"But the last time I heard, there were at least fifty Es in that forest."

"Sensei, I'm going with Kuran Kaname. Everything should be alright. If he let me die on this job, I swear I'll haunt him no matter how long his life will be."

"Don't speak about dying so easily. Speaking of which, are you alright? It's been a month."

It didn't occur to Zero before, and the thought that it was time for his special supply made him a little edgy. He felt the need some times, but it wasn't too demanding. Besides, there was no time for that.

"I'll be fine. I'll come to you tomorrow, Sensei, when everything has been done."

"Alright, if you say so. And kid..." Yagari paused, before continuing, "take care." Zero felt his teacher was going to say something else, but he didn't press it. He knew his teacher well, and if he didn't think it was time to say whatever he was going to say, urging him to do it would only make him angry.

Zero promised he would call his sensei first thing when he was done with the job.

(*-*)

They agreed to meet in the office for a briefing. The briefing was consisted of Kaname doing monologue while pointing his finger to some random places in the map that he claimed as the forest's map. Zero missed the Boy Scout training due to his changing and he hadn't the time to resume it, so he didn't have proper knowledge about map legends. But there was no way he would embarrass himself by asking to Kuran which symbol symbolized what, so he kept his mouth shut as he paid undivided attention. If he had to find locations, he would use his instincts just like usual.

It was in the remote area where the people still adhered to the traditional beliefs. When some of them went missing, they thought the Gods had sent their beast to punish them for the lack of their attention to the shrine. Coincidentally, there were mentions of bloodsucking monster in their religious doctrines. Long story short, twenty people of the surrounding villages had become victims of the vampires in the forest, and Zero regretted these people's decision of not reporting the matter to the authorities. Human polices wouldn't do any good, but at least it would get to the association's ears and they could help.

The pureblood tossed him a car key before they went to the parking lot. At his questioning look, the brunet only smirked slightly, and led him to a minivan in the farthest corner of the first basement. He wasn't going to use the limo? As if hearing Zero's unspoken question, Kaname turned to him,

"I don't like using the limo when doing this sort of job."

"Of course," Zero scoffed. _You just don't want your precious car to be soiled_.

Zero went into the driving seat while Kaname entered through the back door. There were boxes which Zero didn't want to know about. He examined the boxes and wrinkled his nose. Some of them contained outdated food and they gave off disgusting smell. Zero, smelled the rotten goods but chose not to comment, readied himself behind the steering wheel. He inserted the key and turned on the engine. He pressed the gas pedal.

The engine roared and the car jumped with a start. The ex-human's breath hitched and he quickly hit the brake. The car stopped mere centimetre from the sedan in front of them. He turned around slowly. "When was the last time you use this car?"

Kaname paused before saying blankly, "A few years ago."

"And how old is this crap anyway?"

"The body is new, at least."

"The engine?" Zero raised an eyebrow.

"My uncle bought it in the auction before World War I took place, if I'm not mistaken. I took over the ownership of this vehicle as well when I exiled him. Why do you ask?"

Zero couldn't believe the pureblood just asked him the reason he asked! "Kuran, this is a piece of junk! I bet you'll arrive faster if you go by foot!"

"That's why I need you here. You can repair it, can't you?"

"I'm not some damned mechanic!"

"Kiryuu, you're paid by the association to assist me."

"I'm paid by the association to watch over you!"

"What's the difference between assisting and watching over?" Kaname blanked his expression and looked at Zero as if he was completely clueless about it.

Zero almost jaw drop at that. "Dude, there's a whole universe difference between them. Are you a preschool kid? And anyway, I mostly go to the work site using public car or walking!"

Zero cursed when he saw Kaname smirking slightly through the mirror. The brunet closed the boxes in the back and said, "How conventional."

An image of shoving rotten foods into Kaname's stomach and made him puke flooding the hunter's mind.

"And Kiryuu, don't forget to stop by the garbage dump. We need to throw these disgusting things out."

(*-*)

Zero was right. Even though the roads were clear (because it was midnight) and he pushed the car to its limit, they could still arrive at their destination sooner if they ran. Kaname said he wanted to save his energy for fighting, should a battle arise, but Zero got the feeling that the pureblood was just too lazy to do things manually.

It was an hour after midnight when they arrived at the periphery of the forest, through the nearest village. They could feel a pureblood's presence even when they just entered the village boundary. This pureblood wasn't even trying to be discreet. It made Zero worried, because it was either the vampire was crazy, or he was not afraid of Kuran's power. Either of them was not good news. A crazed pureblood was much much worse than level Es.

"When was the last time you feed on real blood, Kiryuu?" Kaname suddenly asked.

There was a pause, before a quiet answer, "Last month."

"Whom did you bite?"

"No one. I bought it from the Red Cross. My teacher has an acquaintance."

"I see. How often do you drink it?"

"When the thirst is too much and I can't suppress it. It's usually around once a month. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. Just curious. I remembered when we were in high school you would deny your needs until someone had to help you out."

Zero didn't respond to that. He remembered it clearly, how the thirst always became unbearable and blood tablets didn't help. He would curl inside his bedroom, scratching his throat as if gouging out the organs in his neck would make things better. He would stay like that until someone came and gave him blood... Zero hated to remember it. There was still a deep wound in his chest that would reopen each time he reminisced about it. He could've had forgotten about everyone in the academy, but there was a memory about someone that he could never erase from his mind. And it was painful. Too painful.

"And I'm curious as to how you keep the madness at bay. You're the longest living ex-human I know."

Zero's upper lip twitched at the comment. "I don't see it as a problem for you. And, I have the charm renewed regularly."

"Charm?"

Zero pointed at his neck, and when he saw the confused look on the pureblood's countenance, he loosen his tie and unbuttoned his collar, enough to show the tattoo just above his clavicles. Kaname took one full second to look at the tattoo and quickly looked away.

"You shouldn't bare your neck like that," he murmured, irritated to himself for feeling... feeling aroused when he saw the smooth, pale neck. _I drank more blood tablets than usual_, he reminded himself. _And I had Akatsuki yesterday_.

"Why, you sound like an embarrassed high school girl?" Zero couldn't help the mocking tone in his voice. Because... well, Kaname looked a bit... um... cute... when he averted his eyes that way.

_There, I said it. I admit he looks cute sometimes. Now leave me alone!_ Zero screamed mentally.

"You know very well what a neck means to all of us," Kaname said, still murmuring, hoping that simple reason could hide the truth.

Zero didn't talk back. He got out of the car, and Kaname followed him out.

The village was quiet; the people were fast asleep at this hour. Very different compared to big cities, where nights were as bright and as lively as days.

"What are you going to do now?" Zero asked as he locked the car. The pureblood pocketed his hands and looked resolutely to the lines of trees in front of them. The trees were wide apart near them until a few metres ahead, where suddenly they became thicker and bushes had developed, making sure the people who entered would have used much effort.

"Greet him. And then scold him to stop killing the people in the village. Killing is not a good thing."

Zero raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to hand him to the council?"

"I planned it, and thought it over. Handing him to the council won't take much effect."

That took Zero by surprise.

"The association, then?"

"Can't, without telling the council."

"You're going to let him go, just like that? He's making an army in there, alright!"

Kaname frowned. He chose not to look the hunter in the eye. His voice sounded dejected when he answered. "Not like that."

"What part of it is _not like that_? You're practically violating your own rule! Wait, I know. You know this pureblood, don't you?"

Kuran Kaname crossed his arms. "Maybe, maybe not."

Zero stomped one foot and pulled the president roughly by the collar. His voice came out as a snarl, "Don't fuck with me!"

"Save your energy for later, Kiryuu. They've come."

"What?"

Zero turned around, to see pairs of luminous red eyes watching him from the darkness. Zero didn't feel them approaching because the two pureblood's auras were jamming his sensor system. But now that he had seen them, he could feel many of them were hiding behind the trees, waiting to attack. They were all beyond repair; they had lost their humanity completely. They had lost to the beast inside them, making it easier for their maker to control them. Mindless vampires were no different than robots; they could be controlled from afar.

Zero looked at them with eerie. So many...

He took out his gun and pointed at the closest one. Upon sensing anti-vampire weapon, the level Es growled. Zero took a good look at them. They were starving, that's for sure. They could annihilate the villages around here with that number.

"Take care of them. I'm going to meet him," Kaname said, tapping on Zero's shoulder.

"Hey!" Zero was going to protest, but Kaname had disappeared from his side.

The fuck?

(*-*)

The next hour went as a blur of motions. Zero reloaded his gun again and again and the number of his enemies didn't seem to recede. He started to wonder whether his aim was starting to lose precision, or simply the enemies were too many. Kaname had gone into the trees, leaving him alone with his nightmare.

He counted the enemies, and stopped at around fifty, because suddenly one of them got too close to him and had to have a brawl before he could kill it, making him forget at what number he had stopped. The ground around him had turned into piles of ashes.

Where did that bastard go? He hated to admit it, but he couldn't handle this alone. Even though he was one of the strongest hunters in this era, he still had limitations. He couldn't move from his spot because he was afraid those monsters would go on rampage in the village the moment he retreated, even if it was to call for help.

"Shit!" he cursed, as he shot the one jumping towards him. It screamed painfully and spasm before it became still. Some of its crazed comrades came to lick the blood oozing from his wound before the dead turned into dust. Zero pursed his lips at the display of cannibalism in front of him. _That's what happens when they've completely consumed by the beast inside of them_, he mused, feeling his stomach churned.

If only dawn was near, Zero could hold out until the sun shone on the ash-y mess of the forest.

Blood trickled down his temple, from the wound inflicted by one of them a moment ago. It was healing slowly, because he was tired and hadn't had any blood for a pretty long time. His bullets supply was running out.

"Wish I had a power like Kuran," he muttered, shooting rapidly. His fingers were getting numb and he felt weariness spreading to his shoulders. If only this was an arcade game, where the hero had more than one lives. But it wasn't a game, and the last time Zero checked ex-humans as well as hunters only had one life. He couldn't let any of those Es got him even for once—

"Guh!" A strong hand wrapped around his neck, strangling him. Zero shoved his left elbow while his right hand shot another E that's following its friend's example. _Not now, not when I've seen the end of them_...

How things could become ten times harder when the pureblood wasn't behind him anymore?

He shot the one on his back and aimed for another at his rear—

One of them tackled him from the other side. Zero look at his surroundings and counted. There were only five more left. He didn't sense more of them. He could do this.

So long as he had enough bullets.

"FUCK!" he cursed, finding he had run out of bullets. _Kuran, where have you gone, you fucktard?_

One claw tore a long wound from his chest to his waist. Zero's violet eyes turned red. A surge of energy came into him, and he grabbed the head near him, twisting it, practically trying to chop it off its neck.

_No, don't give in_, the small sound in the back of his mind cried helplessly. _Zero, don't give in_—

Another E managed to get on his back again, but this time one other had his legs. He roared. He punched, bit, kicked.

"Get off me!" he yelled, as if it would stop the remaining Es from trying to make him their dinner. He took out a knife from the inside of his jacket. He stored knives just in case he ran out of bullets, but they weren't anti-vampire weapons.

He felt his consciousness was slowly being pushed by the madness inside him. Zero held out a scream when he felt a pair of fangs sunk on his legs. These Es were desperate. They didn't care where they had to bite him—

Zero stabbed the vampire on the forehead. He heard the skull cracked. The E couldn't even scream. It dropped to the ground, dead.

Zero noticed that he was now bleeding everywhere.

He took out the knife from the E under him, which was slowly turning into ash, and hurled it to the one right in front of him. However, it gave the remaining two of them an opening.

"Grrrh!" he growled when he felt fangs sunk into his arms. He couldn't take out the knife.

—!

(*-*)

(*-*)

(*-*)

When he came to, he felt soft surface under him, and warm covers around him. He couldn't immediately open his eyes, so he took a deep breath and calm down, slowly remembering what had happened to him, and what made his body hurt all over. The memories of going out of town, and then surrounded by level E vampires flooding into his conscious mind bit by bit. The memory ended with him tossing the last knife he had into an enemy, but he didn't know whether he missed or not.

Well, he could be sure that he was still alive, and completely awake, not dreaming, so it must mean that he was able to kill all those monsters.

But this warmth, this softness... it was no doubt that he was on a bed. From how convenient it was, it couldn't be his bedroom. Maybe Kuran found him, and then took him to a hotel nearby? Yeah, it felt like a hotel's bed.

Zero shifted.

It was then that he realized he was naked. The blanket connected right to his skin. There was stickiness around his torso. Caked blood? Could be. As he tried to open his eyes, he felt a splitting headache. He cringed. Felt like hangover. Side effect from blood loss? Could be.

Blood...

He lost blood...

And he needed blood...

But he felt really fine today.

"Uh..." Zero shifted again, this time forcing his eyelids open.

He was right. He was in a room in a hotel, and since the wallpaper and the furniture looks expensive, it was no doubt that Kuran checked them in to a luxurious hotel. Zero sighed, and pushed himself into sitting position.

It was then, that he looked to his side and saw the dark-haired pureblood, the president of his company, the one who took him to the mission last night, was lying on his stomach beside him, completely naked, with the blanket only covering his legs until the lower part of his sexy butt.

And he was fast asleep.

(*-**TBC**-*)


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: see chapter 4.

Note: there's nothing much in this chapter... The chapter has been in my harddisk for the last one and a half week, but I just wasn't sure. In the end I made last-minute changes like in chapter 3...

On a different topic, I'm not really good with describing the characters' feelings through thoughts (I usually go for dialogues), so it's like an experiment. Please, tell me what you think!

Oh, and... things might become more interesting in the next chapter. And since my end semester project will be over next week, Chapter 6 will come out faster than this one =D...

.

.

.

I hope... D=

(*- **Chapter 5** -*)

Zero was torn between wanting to scream and wake the man beside him and then kill himself, or simply search for his weapon and kill himself. To die and leave peacefully sounded like a good escape.

.

.

.

Well, sorry for thinking like a coward, but try to put yourself in his shoes—or in this matter, his blanket: waking up with a splitting headache in the late morning, without clothes, and with your greatest enemy who's also in his birthday suit. You'd want to suicide, right? RIIIGHT?

And as he unconsciously staring at those delectable ass cheeks like a crow finding a mound of sparkling gold, several different scenarios started to plot themselves in his mind. None of them sounded good.

Zero clutched the blanket which kept his dignity hidden and closed his eyes. The headache was getting into him. There was only one time Zero felt this kind of uneasiness. It was when he and his university friends went to a bar after finishing a difficult final exam. He was still underage back then, and as someone who had been raised by an uptight soldier, Zero felt like being rebellious for a change. His friends, having more experience with the environment and the drinks, ordered him something strong without him knowing. He wasn't remember much of what happened that night, but according to his friends, the drink knocked him out after a few sips. He woke up with a boy clinging to his arm in a foreign bed.

Zero noticed the boy—who was part of his inner circle, by the way—had been stealing meaningful glances at him, and he sort of guessed what he had in mind, but he never thought he that boy would be daring enough to force himself on him. He was sure he didn't do anything too damaging to the boy, neither did he think the boy did something damaging to him. But the boy babbled about it to their friends, making people having funny ideas for the next few weeks. Zero made a promise to himself to never go out drinking and to never let any male friend stealing glances at him again.

This situation, this position, felt very much like that time. Only it was worse, because Zero was sure he passed out because of blood loss (which could lead to crazier things than just being inebriated). Not to mention the person who was laying beside him now.

Zero checked his body for the remnants of last night's fight, but wounds had all healed. He at least remembered that some level E vampires bit and clawed at him, and since he hadn't had any real blood, those wounds should still be there on his body. Did the pureblood get him fresh blood? But how? Oh, he remembered he talked about the Red Cross last night. Maybe he ordered some from them? But since his charm hadn't been renewed, even fresh human blood wouldn't be able to keep his degradation. He would still have the symptoms...

Kaname couldn't have called Yagari-sensei and asked him to come, right? Because if he did, the hunter master would not let Zero spend the rest of the night with the pureblood, and would rather bring Zero back to his apartment. He might not look it, but he was really protective when it came to Zero. Maybe even more protective than Zero's late father. (Only Zero knew about it: the hunter master actually wanted to have a child, but since he was homosexual, he then pretended as best as he could that Zero was his son and poured the ex-human all the love in the world... even though that sounded absurd.)

Zero thought as he fought the headache. The only option was that Kuran Kaname contacted a hunter in the area to help with Zero's charm. However, it was nearly impossible. Because the charm was uniquely made by Yagari, so only Yagari knew how to deal with it. Anyone could use the wrong spell and make the charm kill Zero instead—or worse, kill everyone in one mile radius.

_But how am I this healthy?_ Zero mused. Aside from the strange headache, he was totally fine. No blood thirst, no wound...

What the hell happened last night?

Since he collapsed, it was inevitable that Kuran had to carry him to the hotel. Okay, that was acceptable, even though he hated imagining the pureblood having him in his arms, bridal style... Wait, of course not bridal style! Maybe was carried on the back. Yeah, that's more like it.

Ah, whatever.

And then... the pureblood had to check in, right? He pictured Kaname, with his bloody, unmoving body, approached the front desk. The receptionist, if she was human, would cry in shock seeing someone in such a state, and maybe offered to call a doctor. If the receptionist was a vampire, her eyes would turn red at the scent of blood, but had to professionally served the pureblood. She would give Kaname the key without much question.

Okay... so far nothing could be wrong.

Kaname—with his bloody, unmoving body—then entered the elevator. Zero had looked around and saw through a slit between the curtains that the room was not in the ground floor.

So...

Elevator.

Zero skipped the elevator thing and hurriedly think of the next action Kaname might have done with him. Now he was imagining they entered the room. He was still unconscious. Blood was staining their clothes, so he figured Kaname should've thought sleeping with it would be uncomfortable. So then the pureblood undressed them, preferably in the bathroom since they had to be clean from the caked blood and dirt.

Zero pinched his cheek as he felt them getting hotter thinking Kaname undressing him in the bathroom. Maybe in the bath tub, since he had to be cleaned. And then the pureblood turned the water on and scrubbed his body gently. His smooth hands groping around Zero's bloody, unmoving body. The water immediately turned dark red. Those hands might started from the top, cleaning Zero's silver head with the hotel's shampoo, and then down to his face, and then neck... lowered until they reached his back and chest, and then abdomen, and then—

Zero pinched his cheek harder.

God, he couldn't continue thinking about it or he would burst!

Even as he thought about Kaname's hands roaming over his still body, he got his breath fast and short, and started getting hot all over. It's as if he was hoping that that was what actually happened and he wanted a repeat!

Of—of course he didn't want a repeat! Zero took a deep breath and calmed himself. He didn't want it to actually happen, did he? To have Kaname's hands reaching his groin, and then stroking his length carefully, and then tightening and loosening his fingers around them repetitively, teasing him, seducing him—

Zero was too flustered with his own imagination that he didn't realize the person beside him had stirred and woken up.

Kaname woke up when he felt the bed was shaking. He was alarmed at first. He always slept alone so having the bed shaking when he slept was not possible. He shot his eyes opened, and then realized that he was in no danger. The person he slept with last night had woken up and now was sitting, back facing him, and he was holding his head with both hands and shaking, as if shrugging a pestering bug away.

Kaname sighed and recalled last night's event, which brought smile to his face. He didn't expect the ex-human to do that to him, but he couldn't say that he was displeased by it. If anything, last night was more than just enjoyable for him.

He then turned around and pushed himself up. The hunter still hadn't noticed that he had woken up. Smiling, he leaned forward until his face was only inches away from the silveret.

"Good morning," he whispered with a sexy, throaty voice.

Zero started. "KURAAAN!" he screamed femininely, suddenly having the urge to leap away. And leap away he did, only without much planning that he landed butt first on the soft carpet two metre away from the bed. Kuran twitched at the sight, knowing the fall would definitely hurt. But he immediately forsake about how painful it could be, because Zero sprawling naked on the floor was quite a view.

"Ahh," Zero yelped as the pain shot up from his back.

Kaname got down the bed and walked around it to offer his hand to the griping ex-human. Zero, of course, batted the hand away, but as he did, he finally got a good look of the pureblood: standing before him without even a piece of cloth to hide the manly thing that was dangling between his thighs.

"FUCK! WEAR SOMETHING WILL YOU?" Zero yelled.

"I can say the same to you, Kiryuu," Kaname said coldly, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

Zero hurriedly put his hands on his cock, hiding them from Kaname's hungry eyes. He quickly rose to his feet and stepped towards the bed, to yank the bed sheet and put it around his body.

"I don't understand. Why are you so flustered?" Kaname asked innocently. "We're both guys. You only see what you also have."

"That's the fucking problem! Have you no shame at all?"

"No," Kaname answered instantly, making Zero jaw drop. "I don't have anything to be ashamed of. Mine looks beautiful, don't you think?" He then took steps towards the red-as-tomato Zero with arms akimbo. Zero was preparing a punch, seeing Kaname was up to his antics again, but suddenly, the pureblood's knees gave away. He fell on all fours before he could reach the ex-human.

Zero was stunned. What happened with the pureblood? He knelt down to study Kaname's face. Now that he looked closely, the pureblood was perspiring, and he looked pale. Well, he was always pale, but this time, he was even paler.

"Kuran? What's wrong with you?"

To see a pureblood weakened like this didn't make Zero feel superior or safe. Instead, it made him anxious. What had happened to Kaname? Perhaps he dealt a huge blow when he fought with the demented pureblood and hadn't recovered yet?

"Don't worry," Kaname said weakly, as he pushed himself up. "Just feeling a bit anaemic. Maybe more sleep will help..." he added as he lied down on the bed. He pulled the blanket until it covered him to his chin. He looked at Zero, who still clutching to the bed sheet around him and looking at the suddenly weak-looking pureblood with puzzled face. "Kiryuu, if you hungry, call for the room service. And there're clean clothes in the wardrobe."

"H-hey," Zero said cautiously. "Are you okay? What happened to you?"

Kaname smiled. "Nothing you should be worried about."

"Uh... are you sure? Do you have any blood tablet?"

The Clan Group's president shook his head while smiling softly. "Sleep will be enough to replenish my energy."

And then, without a care for all the more confused hunter, Kaname let himself drifted off to sleep.

(*-*)

Zero went out in the midday to meet with his sensei, who coincidentally was in the neighbouring town for a job and only needed twenty minutes drive to the meeting spot. His sensei came running with fresh blood. He was going to refuse it when he remembered there was an anaemic pureblood in the hotel who could be waiting for his return. Yagari raised an eyebrow when he said he didn't need the blood and that he only needed his charm to be looked after. The older hunter then bombarded him with questions when they met, asking whether Kaname protected him or did something stupid at him. Zero almost shuddered when Yagari said all his worries about letting Zero went on a hunting mission with the vampire prince. It was unnerving knowing how accurate Yagari's fears were.

After the meeting with his sensei, Zero wandered around the town for interesting places; only for sightseeing. It was a bit lonely, and he half hoped Kaname was there accompanying him. However, even as he cursed himself for hoping something so absurd, he knew it was impossible. He could stand the sun light because of the human and hunter traits in him, but Kaname was a pureblood vampire first and foremost, and he was even weaker than a level E at noon.

If only he could go on dates during the day—

CHOTTO MATTAAAAAAA!*

Zero slapped his cheek hard that it left four blazing red finger marks. The people near him turned to him hearing the loud _whoop_ sound; a few of them even pointed at him. The redness was in so much contrast with his pale skin. It's because he had been thinking of that pureblood bastard for the whole time, even when he was with his teacher. What was wrong with him? He couldn't get that prick out of his head for more than ten seconds. Everything reminded him of that perverted, ill-natured, egocentric pureblood.

Irritated at something he wasn't even sure, Zero decided to go back to the hotel. It was still bright outside, but it was about time the vampires woke up. Maybe Kuran had also woken up like the others. Even though it meant he would be near the pureblood again, there was possibility Kuran wanted to go home, and then they would be on the move.

_It'll be much better to work on something... like driving_, Zero thought.

However, when he arrived at the hotel—which was owned by Kaname, from how the employees looked and bowed at him, and the fact that he was staying at the room in the highest floor that had its own special elevator—the vampire prince was still in deep slumber. There was a slight frown on his tense face when Zero looked closely, making him wonder whether the pureblood was having a bad dream. It kind of worried him, since Kaname didn't look fine this morning.

He said he was anaemic, right? But how could a vampire be anaemic, when blood was their main source of energy? Surely, unless they had major blood loss, they wouldn't experience the symptom, right? And it didn't look like Kaname suffered too much wound from the battle, because if he did, then how could he carry Zero and himself to the hotel, and even clean them up? He was this bad even _after_ resting.

As if he was wounded after he got into the hotel—

Zero stopped at that. A scary thought had just formed itself and he dreaded it. Better stop thinking about it.

Even so, as Zero tried not to read too far into the situation, all the more he thought about it.

Kaname lost much blood. It couldn't have been because he cut his finger by mistake. It couldn't have been because someone attacked them in this room, because the everything was neat. It was possible that someone attacked them in the parking lot in the basement, but there were cameras all over the hotel—except the rooms—and since Kaname was the owner of this place, there was no way the employees would let the perp go so easily. And they could have sent both of them to a hospital.

But Zero knew the chance someone attacked them in the parking lot was slim. Nothing happened in the hotel that would attract the employees' attention. If anything should happen in the hotel, then it would've happened in this very room.

And the only one who could do harm to the pureblood was none other than Zero himself.

Feeling devastated by his own deduction, Zero sat on the edge of the bed, hands hugging his head down. He was pretty sure that he lost himself last night. There was a blank in his memory, which could only be explained by his madness taking over. Maybe he attacked Kaname because of the blood thirst.

But!

Zero straightened his back, eyes seeing determinedly at the carpet beneath his bare feet. Would the pureblood sleep on the same bed with his attacker? Would Kaname tease him like that this morning, being the usual jerk he was, if Zero had attacked him? And would Kaname smile so kindly and warm to the one who wanted him dead just hours before? It didn't make sense!

"Gaaaaaahhh!" Zero buried his face into his thighs and groaned. "The heeeeeeeelllll!"

"Kiryuu, I believe I told you not to be noisy..." came the slurred voice from the body beside him. It startled Zero a little.

"Kuran!" he cried, his tone was the mix of relief and irritation.

"What?" Kaname protested, obviously annoyed for having been woken up, and a little fed up with Zero's continuous shrieking whenever he spoke. He still felt dizzy, but it was much better than this morning. He rose into sitting position, at the same time cutting the gap between him and the silveret. Zero's breath hitched—somehow he became very conscious of the brunet and he shifted away. His back was facing Kaname, so he didn't see that Kaname pouted in disappointment.

Zero crossed his arms. "Are you alright?"

"Not really, but much better."

Zero stood by the window, eyes looking unfocused at the busy streets below. He felt the pureblood's scrutinising stare poking sharply at his back. After a few minutes, Zero finally opened up.

"Can you"—Zero gulped—"tell me what actually happened last night, after the mission?"

_Please answer this seriously because I think I'd die from curiosity..._

But a part of Zero didn't want to know. He was afraid that his worst imagination was what actually happened. If it was so, then he didn't know how to face the pureblood anymore.

"You passed out," Kaname answered in short. "And then I took you here."

"Is that all?" Come on, there should be more than that!

Kaname paused, gazing hard at the back of the silver head, trying to read what the lower level vampire was thinking. He couldn't get any hint.

"Why, do you want to hear every details?"

Now it was Zero's turn to pause. However, his voice was firm when he said, "Yes."

"Well..." Kaname got off the bed and walked towards the wardrobe. He was still naked. "You were on the brink of falling to level E. And you'd lost so much blood from eliminating the Es in the village. You were wounded everywhere. I couldn't even recognize that it was you when I got back to the place where you had turned into a field of ashes."

"But I'm still alive and sane," Zero said in wonder.

"Yes."

"How?"

"Well..." Kaname rubbed the back of his head, searching for the appropriate words that wouldn't put the silveret on edge. He had taken a pair of black trousers and a black shirt. He pulled out a pair of blue boxers with flower patterns and frowned deeply, before realizing that he hadn't any choice. He put the boxers on, and then the trousers. "You got the blood you needed."

Zero stiffened. His arms fell to his sides.

"I... uh... bit someone?"

— "Yes."

"Wh... who?" Zero's question was not more than a whisper, but Kaname heard it clearly.

Kaname turned around, and his eyes met with Zero's uncertain ones. They looked at each other for a while, the sound of heart beating in their chests giving back sound to the room.

"Me," he said.

Zero knew it. There was no other explanation. It was the only possible thing. It was around the time his charm was renewed, and time he had real blood. He remembered he lost blood and was falling, but woke up really fine—aside from the headache—the next morning. And the pureblood was suddenly sick. In truth, Zero had bitten Kaname once years ago, and he knew what the pure blood could do to him; how much potential contained in one single drop of blood. Had he bitten a human, or even a lower level vampire, he wouldn't be this healthy, this calmed.

"B-but... how did it happen? I mean, how could you let me bit you?"

Zero also remembered that back then, when he had Kaname's blood in high school, the pureblood clearly stated that it wasn't because he wanted to help, but because there was someone who'd be sad if Zero died. It was clear enough to know that the pureblood didn't like it even a bit.

"You could've stopped me," Zero added.

"I didn't," Kaname said. "How could I?" _When you hovered over me like that? When your eyes looking at me like that? And when your skin made contact with me like that?_

Zero narrowed his eyes, searching into Kaname's claret orbs, but wasn't sure what he wanted to find. "What do you mean?" he said carefully.

Kaname inhaled deeply. How he wanted to repeat last night's incident through words, how stimulating it could be...

However, somewhere deep down, he knew it wasn't right. Well, no, not that it wasn't right to tell the hunter what had transpired between them, but maybe... maybe the hunter needed more time before he could accept it, that that happened... between them. So, taking another deep breath, Kaname thought resolutely.

"I was wounded, alright," Kaname mumbled, almost inaudibly. "Anyone could take advantage of that, including you."

Zero quieted down as he digest Kaname's words, seeking for unspeakable meaning or concealed truth.

"Then..." Zero cleared his throat, thinking he had to make things right... somehow. "I'm sorry. I wasn't being myself last night. If I knew it was you, I'd never do that."

Kaname smiled ironically to himself. How could having someone regretting for stripping him off his powers make him this troubled? _It's Kiryuu we're talking about_, he reminded himself. _Nothing is ordinary around him_.

"But, Kuran... seriously, nothing else happened?" Zero asked again, just to be sure.

Judging from the melancholic air around the pureblood, Zero expected Kaname to just nodded and dismissed the topic, but he was a totally disappointed when he saw Kaname's lips tugged at both sides forming a cunning smirk.

"What, you're hoping for something to have actually happened?"

It was then that Zero knew the conversation was over. "Like hell I am!"

(*-*)

They were back at the office at midnight, and the president immediately dismissed his secretary after the minivan was parked at its usual spot. Expecting that he would be given more rest, Zero bowed at the president out of courtesy and walked at the opposite direction of the elevator. At the same time, Kaname's limo came sliding down the dark parking lot to pick the still-a-little-tired pureblood.

Kaname opened down the window glass when the car went past Zero and waved a hand,

"Don't forget to come tomorrow evening, and do not be late. If you do, I'll give you a proper punishment."

It took all Zero had to not shudder hearing the tone his boss used when saying the word punishment. Sounded like something terrible that would endanger both his sanity and chastity. He made a mental note to get up early.

He followed the limo with his eyes, sighing.

Quietly, he recollected the incidents that happened to him for the last twenty four hours as he walked down the empty road. He gave the blood he bought from the Red Cross to Kaname before they checked out of the hotel, saying it was a thank you gesture and that he didn't want to be indebted to the pureblood. Kaname took it hesitantly, and Zero wondered if he was hesitating because he was going to have something another person had bought, or because he had tried bagged blood before and disliked it. Zero watched the pureblood drank it and thought that it was the latter, but there was something indecipherable in the president's eyes. When he drank the blood, he looked as if he was deep in thought.

Of course, it didn't mean that Zero cared for what the pureblood might have in mind. It's just, sometimes he felt odd when seeing the pureblood being quiet and looking serious like that. Even though Kaname had shown that side of him a lot in high school, he was a totally different person today, what with his unsightly hobby and unbearable personality.

However, no matter how Zero tried to shove the thoughts of the pureblood away, he seemed to be thinking about him even more. He wondered if it was because he had drunk from Kaname for the second time, and it was guilt that he was having. There was possibility that Kaname didn't know what to do at the moment and surrendered his blood just to keep Zero alive.

But for a pureblood to give away his blood! And to an ex-human! If the society knew about this, Zero was sure he would be executed even before he realized it. Not that he cared about the vampire law or anything...

Zero tousled his silver locks. Okay, okay, he cared! He was part of the vampire society, after all, no matter how he disliked the idea. And somehow he had a feeling that after Kaname cleaned them up, there had been something more than just him biting the pureblood.

Because, Zero realized it now, the stickiness on his body that he felt when he woke up this morning... was definitely not red in colour!

(*- **TBC** -*)

* CHOTTO MATTAAAAAAA! is equivalent with WAAAIIIIIIITTTT!

Just thought that it was funnier that way O_O

How many percent do you think I've made Kaname and Zero out of their character?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: see chapter 4.

Dhinx's note: I'm sorry if all of them are too OOC. I usually try to make them not as if they're my own characters, but I just want the different Kaname and Zero here. I'm really sorry I can't change that because the real Kaname and Zero in this fic is almost impossible.

I hope this chapter lives up to your expectation. *clasp hands and pray* I was going to make this chapter longer, and then I remember I haven't make any updates in a long tim. D= So here it is =D

(*- **Chapter 6** -*)

"No!"

"Hanabusa!"

Zero sighed as he put the documents he just received from the HRD guys on the table. The boss had come a bit early and had the usual company, it seemed. Not paying attention too much on the noises from the president's room—the rustling sound of clothes, the sound of something being shoved into the shelves, the sound of the books falling, the sound of someone being smothered—

Okay, he was listening, but not too much, alright! He had work to be done—

"Hanabusa!"

"I will not accept it, Kaname-sama!"

"Hanabusa, calm down—"

And then the big door was opened and the blonde runt emerged, followed by the dark-haired pureblood. Zero straightened his back, ready to do something if things got out of hands—like, someone having his eyes stabbed by the others' fingers, or someone being punched to death, or Kaname being raped in the secretary's room—not, the last one wasn't possible.

The pureblood caught the blonde's wrists, intending to stop him from running away. However, Aidou Hanabusa, who was wearing pale blue lab coat and cream-coloured pants jerked away.

"Hanabusa!"

"Let go of me! Let go of me you bastard!" Aidou screamed to the top of his lungs, making Kaname stop from shock. Aidou had just called him bastard! The runt screamed so loud that Zero was sure the whole floor heard him. Wiping the tears with his now free hands, Aidou glared heatedly at Zero, as if Zero was the one causing their little argument.

"Alright, I'll agree with you," Aidou said suddenly, eyes nailed on Zero, making the hunter felt the unwelcomed uneasiness squeezing his heart tightly. This is not going to be good. "In that case, you're fine if I'm going out with Kiryuu, right? Follow me!" And then the blonde noble caught Zero's hand and practically dragged him out of the room, leaving the super shocked Kaname behind.

(*- **a few days before** -*)

"Then, this meeting is adjourned," the president concluded with tired voice. He massaged the bridge of his nose—not that it eased the stress in him, but more for the pose that he knew so well would make him look cool and full of responsibility. Keen observation showed that if he appeared that way in front of his employees, they tend to work harder.

"Alright, Sir," the R&D manager deftly gathered his things and bowed down at the boss, "I will notify you shortly when everything is ready."

"Thank you," Kaname said.

Zero followed his boss out of the meeting room eagerly, obviously didn't enjoy the atmosphere of board meeting, when the room was packed with high level vampires with high class outfits on their precious bodies... Each one of them always dressed classily and always scorned him for his middle class looks. Zero didn't care for his looks, alright. He didn't care that he didn't wear Rolex or designer socks. But having people insulting him as if he cared about all that made him totally care about them. Okay, that must be confusing. And sometimes it wasn't just how those ungrateful vampires looked at his inelegance. Seeing a level D around was no different than seeing a filthy dog in the streets—they'd try to bully the poor hunter whenever the pureblood wasn't looking.

"Stop acting like you're tired," Zero mumbled as they went their way to their station. "You just had your relief before the meeting."

"That's exactly the problem. I'm tired after having it standing for an hour."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Yours."

"Hey!"

"You're the one who doesn't want to clean the table. I can't work if it's not cleaned, so I settled with shoving Senri to the wall—"

"Please don't bother informing me of your uncanny hobby, Mr. President."

"I'm being considerate for you, you know."

"If you can't do your—uh—things on the table or the wall," Zero paused to take a deep breath, forsaking the fact that it was disturbing to talk about this matter so early in the night, "shouldn't you just stop?"

Kaname looked back at his assistant, making the silveret stopped in his tracks and pocketed his left hand awkwardly. It was pretty cute when the hunter was fidgeting, although not too visibly.

But the pureblood didn't say anything, and continued walking. Zero frowned, but didn't mull over it too much. Actually, for the last few days the pureblood didn't have visitors as often as before. As a matter of fact, Shiki Senri's visit today was the first after a while. Zero couldn't blame it to the boss if he didn't have time for the hobby, since work had been pretty tough lately. They were trying to secure a contract with a big-shot company and Zero could see the boss was working so hard to make things perfect. If they made this project, they could double their profits.

How great it'd be if the boss just stop seeing his partners altogether. It just wasn't healthy.

"Won't it be great to just have one lover that will wait for you at home and bid you farewell when you go? And you can make love to her—or him—as many times as you please, without anyone to nag for your noisiness."

"Hm," Kaname responded. "That sounds unexpectedly good."

"Right?"

"But I didn't know that you prefer to be the wife that stays at home and only does nothing but fucking with your spouse."

"How did you make it sound as if I was hoping to be the subject of the topic?"

"Oh, you didn't want to?"

_Who wants to be your wife, you fucking moron?_ Zero groaned mentally. Sometimes it amazed him how the pureblood always made things sounded convenient for him. He'd always find an opening.

"Anyway, we have a lot on our hands for now. Stop messing around and be serious alright! It's annoying knowing that I have to work hard for someone who slacks off as without any care for the world. Try putting yourself in my shoes for once."

Kaname pushed the secretary room's door casually and leaned his back on the wall as he waited for Zero to come in. "You're right... I'll do just that."

Zero closed the door while looking at his boss cautiously. This cunning pureblood was always scheming he couldn't let his guard down. However, when he thought Kaname was going to use verbal molestation, the president suddenly pulled his wrist and pressed him to the wall. Zero used his free hand to push the pureblood by the shoulder, but Kaname quickly caught him, intending to momentarily lock him up.

"But I want to have you in exchange," he whispered in Zero's ear, sticking out his tongue to have a taste. Zero shuddered out of his own will, but managed to calm down before he made a greater ridicule of himself.

"I don't care if you're out of your mind," Zero breathed out, "but this is my office and is very visible to the people walking outside. Unless you want the whole building to know that rotten side of yours, let me go!"

"Oh, but aren't there already rumours circulating about you seducing me?"

Zero completely forgot about that. "Fucking asshole!"

"Are you sure you can do that?"

"Just lemme go—"

And then the door suddenly swung open. The two vampires, who had their bodies pressed tightly to each other, froze. One of Kaname's partner, the blonde with icy blue eyes just helped himself into the office. The three of them stayed still for what seemed like ten whole minutes before Kaname detached himself from Zero and straightened up.

"Let's talk in my room," Kaname said calmly, and then ambled at his room's direction.

Aidou gave one last menacing look at Zero before tailing the president.

"Shameless lowlife," he hissed when he went past the hunter.

If Zero was ten years younger, he'd have pulled Bloody Rose out and made a pretty bloody hole in that funny head.

(*- **back to present** -*)

They ran as if a vengeful ghost was chasing after them. Since waiting for the elevator was out of question, they took the emergency stairs and went down twenty three floors in vampire speed. Zero's surrounding went by him as a blur of motion. It was pretty amazing that he didn't stumble and made them rolling down until the ground floor. But Aidou didn't slow down at all.

Zero was weighing the options he had and was really tempted to shoot the noble so he would stop and start explaining why he had to be involved in their lovers' spat earlier, when Aidou finally stopped. They were in the park near the crossroads, only fifty metre away from Clan Group building. Panting, but recovered in a blink of an eye, the two of them straightened up and looked at each other. Zero was annoyed, Aidou was aggravated.

Seriously, Zero only wanted to have a peaceful life for a while, and obviously, coming between the pureblood prince and his partner was not in any way would make things smooth. Why should these goddamn bloodsuckers coming onto him without much thinking and ruin everything? Was it that hard to just leave him alone?

"I'm going back," Zero finally said after they stared at each other for one full minute.

Aidou hurriedly grabbed his hand, stopping him in his tracks. "Wait, what's with that attitude?"

"You're asking me?" Zero widened his eyes in disbelief. Was he hearing right? "Tell me, are you too fucking genius that you can't comprehend the simplest things? Or is it because you're the almighty bloodsucker that you never try hard enough to understand the people around you? As someone of a high caste, your social skills suck!"

Without warning, a solid fist met the hunter's jawbone, sending him flying. Then he quickly formed ice from the ground to capture Zero in the air. The hunter cringed when his back met the hard, cold surface. Ice quickly sealed his limbs.

"Watch your mouth, D!"

"If this is about what Mr. President did to me a few days back—"

"Of course it's about that!"

"Then let me go because there's absolutely nothing between me and your precious pureblood!"

Aidou narrowed his eyes. "You're in no position to demand. I'm going to interrogate you."

"I believe interrogation involves an isolated room, a table, and a chair."

"Shut up, D!"

"What the hell are you trying to do, anyway?"

"I'm going to get what I want."

"And how does strangling me in the open air have something to do with getting what you want?"

That seemed to be the question Aidou was waiting for, because then he smirked, his face broke into a creepy smile that would make all his high school fans screamed in terror. Zero evened out his breath. He had been having high blood pressure ever since joining the Clan Group; he had to always remember to calm down.

"I'm going to make you agree."

Zero sighed. Of all the things he that came to mind about the noble's unusual behaviour, that had to be it. Zero hated being ordered around, and he hated being threatened even more. Aidou's words had malice in them. He didn't need to read more into it; it was too obvious what the young noble's plan was. And even though he hated it, he just didn't want more trouble. He just wanted a peaceful life! At least until before the association decided his break was over.

"Alright, alright," he sighed tiredly. "As long as it doesn't involve things that will make me want to kill the whole Clan Group building and commit suicide, I'll do it. Now release me and tell me what you want me to do."

Aidou nodded, melting the ices and let the hunter's body fall free to the ground. Zero grunted in pain. That kid was aiming it! Insolent brat. They glared at each other: Zero was angry, and Aidou was satisfied.

"Go out with me."

There was the sound of buzzing wind, rustling leaves, and car engine in a distance.

"Yes?"

"You deaf or something? I said, 'Go out with me!'"

If only he could faint from shock, he would. "That doesn't make me want to kill the whole Kuran building and myself, but that definitely makes me want to kill you. No, Senpai, pick another job for me."

"I won't take no for an answer."

"Have you lost a screw in your head? Well, I figured you have, but there's no way in hell I'll go out with you. For your information, I am _straight_! I've been straight since I was born, and I've only liked girls! I'm not interested in having homo relationship. No, nuh-uh. No thanks!"

Aidou scowled. "But I've told Kaname-sama to go out with you."

"That's your problem. Aren't you in love with him? Why drag me into your oh-so-important lovers' spat?"

Aidou looked down, making Zero feeling guilty. The shorty inserted his hands into his coat pockets, but still looking down. Then, after the third deep intake of breath, he sighed.

"It doesn't matter whether I'm in love with him or not."

Taken in by the sudden melancholy, Zero, too, pocketed his hands and lowered his voice. "What?"

Aidou's behaviour reminded him of his conversation with Ichijou a few days back. Somehow it annoyed him. What did these pitiful vampires saw in Kuran? The only good thing about him was his pure blood. Anything else wasn't even important. If it's about wealth, then the nobles didn't really need it, since they were quite wealthy themselves. If it's about appearance, then... well... all vampires were bestowed eternal beauty, so why insisting on Kuran? And if it's about personality, Zero was sure there were millions of people better than Kuran to be in love with.

So many whys at once.

"I don't know. He was really passionate in the beginning. You won't understand. His gentle touches, his warm kisses, the way he sucked and licked on—"

"Whoa there! Too much information!" Zero quickly cut off. "Seriously, what is wrong with you guys? Just a few days ago your pals Ichijou and Kain talked to me about your love lives. I don't fucking care, okay?"

At that, Aidou raised his gaze. It was the first time that Zero saw the noble so innocent and child-like, arousing his big brother instinct.

"Really? You don't care about Kaname-sama?"

Zero felt a faint throb in his chest when he answered, "Why should I?"

Then suddenly Aidou the Smug Face came back gloriously. "_For your information_, Kiryuu, you're different than the other hunters the association sent to spy on Kaname-sama. You're a vampire and have quite a determination to stay by his side for this long. Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't be suspicious of you."

"You and that carrot top are really related, huh?" Zero rubbed the back of his head. "I'm going to say this once so listen closely. I'm not after anything about that guy. I don't really care about his money as long as he pays me my salary, and since I'm straight, I don't care about his love either. So, what else is bothering you?"

"You're sure? Then, it's fine by you if I want you to help me figure out his feelings, right?"

And then comprehension hit him. The silveret bugged his eyes. "You want to make him jealous? By pretending to be going out with me?"

"Yes, why does it take so long for you to understand? And I thought you were at the top of the day class back then."

"That and this matter are completely independent," Zero stuck out his tongue, but somehow his fury at the noble vampire had faded.

(*-*)

Kaname was in foul mood since then, and Zero decided that not contacting him was the best option. Aidou Hanabusa hadn't come to the office again for a few days, and neither had Ichijou, Kain, and that model Shiki. Zero hoped it was a good sign. One whole week without sex in the office—it was a new record! Of course, hoping that Kaname would stop doing that completely was absurd, or rather, foolish, but this was the first step. Finally, office nights without disturbance was coming his way!

However, Zero couldn't forget what the blonde runt told him the other night, about them pretending to go out. He wasn't sure if doing so would make any difference in the noble's relationship with the pureblood. He couldn't say it right to Aidou's face, but his hunch told him that it would make things worse for them. Kaname was colder than an iceberg. Zero doubted only pure love could melt him away. Something like traumatic incident might deal a better blow.

In the other hand, work had been mundane. The finance manager who had been studying overseas was going to come back and the president wanted to have a festive party to welcome her. Her arrival date was only one week away and it was around the end of the month, when they had more recap documents to finish. It was the busiest time of the month and, driven by his lack of release, the president pushed everyone to work harder than they could handle. Couldn't say he was enjoying it, but Zero honestly thought it was best that he had things to occupy his mind. Otherwise he wouldn't stop thinking about his boss's love life.

Dawn was around the corner; Zero decided to call it a day. He saved his work and shut the computer down, yawning while stretching his stiff muscles. Another day had passed in peace. He couldn't have lunch—because of the insane pile of works the boss had assigned him—so he was a little hungrier than usual. He figured buying something from the 24 hours convenient store would be good, since he was too tired to cook by himself. After a simple meal, he would take a nice, hot bath, shave his chin (thought there was nothing to be shaved off, but the feeling was more important), and then go straight to bed. Mm-hm... sounds like a plan.

The door of the boss's room swung open, and the dark-haired pureblood emerged. He had one hand inside his mantle's pocket, the other was holding his smart phone.

"You're still here?"

"Yeah, just waiting for the lights to go off," Zero answered, pointing out at the blinking LED of the computer.

The pureblood nodded. "Did you eat lunch?"

"Thanks to you, no," Zero said a bit too harshly.

"Then, would you like to—"

"Zero!" Zero's door was suddenly blasted open with an exaggerated cheerfulness. Zero almost choked when he saw the icy-eyed vampire came to view.

"_Zero?_" Kaname echoed.

The blonde jumped in surprise at Kaname's voice, but Zero knew he was faking it. Of course he knew the pureblood was there! Kaname was like telling all the vampires in radius five kilometre his location. "Kaname-sama," he bowed politely.

"What are you doing here?" Zero asked.

It seemed to take all the effort he could muster to ignore Kaname's presence and talk to Zero. Aidou forced a small smile, "Let's have dinner together. You haven't eaten, have you?" Aidou's sharp glare was clearly saying, "_Play-along-or-you'll-be-sorry!_"

"Oh. Sure. I've just finished here," Zero mumbled in defeat. He could sense Kaname's disbelieving look at him. He chose not to look up at his boss. "Let's go."

(*-*)

Aidou walked very closely to Zero until they couldn't see the Clan Group building anymore. The sun was starting to shine in the horizon, so they chose a darker part of the road. They were silent all the way, and even though the closeness between him and the high level vampire was making his alertness high, it was a little enjoyable. When they were a hundred metre away from his apartment, though, Zero stopped.

"Till when are you going to follow me?"

"Huh?" Aidou blinked. "Aren't we going to eat dinner together?"

"You were serious? Anyway, I'm too tired for anything, I'm really looking forward to sleeping. 'Sides, I don't have food." Zero forgot to pass by the convenient store because someone was tailing him, and now he was too close to his home that he couldn't imagine walking back the track to buy dinner.

"It's fine, I can cook," Aidou answered.

"You don't have to do that," Zero said in low tone. "Moreover, my apartment is a studio and I'm sure you'll insult it the moment you see it. I'm not in the mood for verbal fight right now."

"I won't insult your place. I promise."

Zero's eye twitch. "Why are you so fixated on coming to my house this morning, anyway?"

Aidou averted his eyes. "I don't have anything else to do."

"Then go home! Sleep or something."

"Can't."

"Why?"

"Because I'll remember Kaname-sama for sure, when I'm all alone."

"Hhhhhh..."

Zero gave up. The apartment was temporary, after all. He would move back to his previous home if he supposed to go back to his original job, so having vampires knowing his residence wouldn't be too risky.

And he finally learnt that he shouldn't have let the noble saw his house, because the moment the stepped on the stairs, Aidou started complaining, "How can living organisms live here? This is unsanitary and rundown, and could collapse at any moment and kill everyone inside! I really don't understand you humans."

Zero inserted his key to the door knob and revolved it. With a single click sound, the door was opened. Aidou lost his speech when he followed Zero inside. It was his first time seeing a bedroom, workroom, and kitchen all packed in one narrow space. Bed, books, fridge, and kitchen counters were cramming the place and he could barely see the floor. Zero tossed his wallet and phone to the table and then opened the door leading to a small bathroom. Aidou's jaws drop.

"Got nothing to say?" Zero snapped.

"Uh. Well, this apartment is really... thrifty."

The silveret smirked. "Welcome to commoners' life."

"I'll cook immediately," Aidou said determinedly. "What do you prefer?"

"Actually my fridge is empty at the moment. I only have two eggs and beers."

"What? Oh, you're serious," Aidou mumbled when he opened the fridge, which was... sparse.

"What else can I do? It's about the end of the month."

Actually Zero had more than enough money to keep his fridge stuffed, since he received salary from both Clan Group and the association. But he was just too lazy to go shopping. Sometimes when his master came visiting him, he would bring a bag of instant foods. Zero often relied on that.

"Then, is scrambled egg good enough?" Aidou asked again.

Zero paused in front of the mirror. Was the noble seriously going to cook for him? Why? He shouldn't go that far. They were not actually going out. If anything, they only had hostility towards each other. Then why suddenly the noble vampire became so kind to the ex-human?

"You're not going to put poison in the food, are you?"

"What the hell?" Aidou yelled. He kicked the bathroom door. "Is that how you thank the one who's kind enough to make your supper?"

Much to Aidou's surprise, Zero laughed. "Fine then. Whatever."

When Zero finished in the bathroom, the two portions of scrambled eggs were laid on the square table with Aidou sitting legs-crossed.

"Wow, I suppose this is safe?"

Aidou only scowled, making the hunter laughed again. Zero never thought he would let his guard down so easily around vampires, not to mention this particular vampire in front of him. He remembered he would always bicker with this one because of their totally different mindsets. Zero only remembered it vaguely, but he could be sure enough that that person in high school was Aidou Hanabusa.

"Then, I'll take it," Zero picked the fork and took a small amount into his mouth. The taste was normal. A bit salty, but nothing's exceptional.

"What do you think Kaname-sama is doing right now?" Aidou started while he ate his portion.

"How could I know?"

"Hey, Kiryuu. Will he be angry at me? Will he sever his ties with me?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Maybe no," Zero quickly added kind-heartedly. "You're like... his most loyal follower or something. He can't afford to lose you."

"You think so?"

_Cute!_ Zero thought. _Just like a doll!_ "Maybe... I don't know, okay."

"Kaname-sama has been very strange the last few months. He's distancing himself from us—I mean me, Akatsuki, and the others. And then in the last few weeks, we only had contact in the office. He never went out with any of us anymore in the weekends."

That was surprising, hearing that from the noble's mouth. The pureblood had been distancing himself from his lovers? But why? Zero wasn't expert in vampires relationships, but he could see that Kuran and his partners were on really good terms. Aidou and the others respected him, and he gave them affection in return. The connections were mutual between them.

But of course, it was also clear that Kuran didn't love any of his partners.

"How did you guys end up in this kind of relationship with him to begin with?" Zero finally asked.

Aidou frowned. "You won't understand."

"Mm-hm. Try me," Zero leaned forward as a gesture that he was going to take anything the noble said seriously.

"It is our, nobles', first and foremost duty to serve a pureblood. We can't argue. We are bound to comply to Kaname-sama's wishes. And Kaname-sama never take advantage of that privilege, all the more reason for us to follow him and serve him. And when Kaname-sama has urges, we are supposed to fulfil it for him."

Zero rubbed his hairless chin. That was... kind of sick. But he had promised he would listen, so he couldn't let his thoughts show in his face. "But you said it was your duty. That means you can't fall in love with him, right?"

At that, the noble snapped. "Well, how can you not fall for him, when he's very kind and gentle with you, and treat you as if you're the most precious jewel in the world?"

"And now you're torn between being his servant and lover," Zero concluded. Aidou nodded weakly.

"It will be an honour to be a pureblood's lover, but I can't propose to him. We are of different castes. I can only wait for him to propose to me."

Zero didn't answer immediately, and instead finished his scrambled egg first. He noticed that Aidou had also finished, so he gathered their plates and forks and put them in the basin.

"But when he wants to stop doing things with you, you can't accept it," Zero said, recalling the night when Aidou screamed to Kaname's face. He heard the squeaking sound of his bed and turned around, finding the ice wielder was sprawling on his messy bed. "Hey!"

"This is not nice," Aidou commented. "The springs are hard and poking on my back uncomfortably. Is this some kind of health bed, like health sandals for elderly?"

"Get off there, vampire!" Zero hissed. Not his bed! But Aidou didn't budge. "No, I'm going to sleep here. I'm going to talk with you until I fall asleep."

"What the—" Zero was rendered speechless. How egotistical! "Don't you worry at all that I'll use my weapon on you?"

"You can't kill me. That'll make troubles for you."

"True," Zero's voice trembled in anger.

"And if you're still going to chase me out, I'll freeze this bed so you can't sleep on it either."

"Please don't," Zero gritted his teeth. But he knew it was his defeat. He took a can of beer and sat down. "So what else do you want to talk about?"

"Hey, what do you think will be Kaname-sama's response if he finds a hickey on you?"

Zero's eyes widened. "You can't do that to me! Sides, I'll heal."

"I can make it visible for a few hours. If I bite you when I suck on you."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I didn't know you like level D's blood."

"Ah, you're right. That's gross."

_Why, thank you_, Zero suppressed a growl.

They stayed silent for a while. The sun had risen, some of its light broke into the room from the slits in the windows and doors. There were sound of birds chirping cheerfully outside. They could hear Zero's neighbours were readying for the day, because they were all human.

"Kiryuu, do you think this will work? Will Kaname-sama ask me to come back to him?" Aidou's voice was not more than a whisper.

Zero took one gulp of his beer. "Are you really asking for my opinion?"

Icy blue met lilac, and the messages they wanted to convey were delivered through their locked gazes. Aidou broke it first. He laid on his side, back facing at Zero.

"Never mind."

(*- **TBC** -*)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: see chapter 4

Dhinx's note: OMG, how long has it been? Every time I sit in front of the computer, I can't help but be distracted! Even when I push myself to type something, I can't write more than just a couple hundred of words... Unfortunately, it seems like the next chapter won't be out faster than this one, so I think I have to apologize in advance. But I'm planning to make something happen on that chapter :D

Seems like everyone has sorta guessed who the finance manager is... ('s pretty obvious anyway =D). Btw, this won't change my plan with the story, but I just want to know your opinion: who—and why—will be bottom, Kaname or Zero?

(*- **Chapter 7** -*)

Sleeping during the day, working during the night. Truthfully, it wasn't that hard to cope, since jobs as a hunter demanded him to be ready at any time possible. However, the hatred he had nurtured since he was a child drove him to do the opposite things. Even though he had to work until past midnight, he would force himself to be up in the morning. He would not think of blood. He would do anything to make sure he would live one day longer to hunt crazed vampires.

But those sorts of things had become only distant memories. None of them mattered that much now. Perhaps he was tired of it all. Tired of pretending, tired of lying to himself. Just face it, his body had changed. His senses had enhanced. He was no longer human. Now, he was a monster that reacted lightning fast at the scent of blood. And once he lost his mind, he would hunt living people just for a taste of that forbidden nectar. He was no different than the beasts he hated.

Sometimes he would laugh in irony. Life could be so cruel that he thought of ending it more than you could imagine. Even if he had to be labelled as a coward, he often thought it was much better than living a hellish world day after day. To die when he still had human conscience was much, much better than being killed by a hunter for feasting on human.

However, like just stated previously, none of them really mattered to him now.

Now that he was tired and just wanted to take a break. To stop running and sit down instead, thinking back on things he had done, and look at his screwed up life through a different perspective. His master would say that he had gone mad. But that's no problem. He only wanted a change of pace to sort things out, and build his life once again.

(*-*)

"You have been pretty friendly with Hanabusa recently," that deep voice came from the corner of the room. He wasn't even startled. He didn't show any change of expression when he walked around his table to reach his seat. The figure in the dark moved.

Zero reached to the button on the wall and pressed it. The room was illuminated instantly.

"You're extremely early today, Mr. President," he addressed the man leaning on the wall near the large doors.

Kaname uncrossed his arms and pocketed them. "As far as I concern, the two of you were always on each other's throat whenever you met," the brunet went on. "What inspired the change now?"

Zero said while pressing on the computer's power button, "We've grown up, Sir. We are mature enough now to sit down and talk things through, rather than threaten to end each other's life at any moment."

"I have to admit that this is a good development in your relationship. However, I still think it's too sudden for both of you to change your minds."

Zero finally took his gaze off of the computer screen to look at Kaname. The president wore his usual stoic face, but Zero could see the uneasiness in his claret orbs. He looked indifferent at first glance, but he was actually bothered by it a lot. The hunter wondered if the source of it was because he was on the verge of losing one of his partner, or because he was actually being jealous. If it's the latter, then he had to congratulate that desperate noble that his plan succeeded. He felt something not right about it though, and he couldn't lie to himself that he was a bit anxious about it.

"I changed my opinions about you in like... two seconds since I start working here," Zero said in a challenging tone. "What I'm saying is, people can change that suddenly and it's actually none of your business whom I'm being friendly with."

"But it's Hanabusa we're talking about," Kaname persisted.

"And why should he be an exception?"

Kaname shook his head in disbelief. He opened the door and entered his room. But before he closed it, he looked at Zero over his shoulder, "I can't overlook the strangeness in your relationship. Hanabusa is a precious friend of mine."

Then he closed the door. Zero sighed.

After that day—three days ago—when the noble slept over at his place, Aidou came to the office at closing hour to walk home together twice. They went to Zero's apartment to eat dinner and talk just like the first day, but he didn't stay long after meal. The conversations were all centred around the pureblood, and Zero couldn't say he enjoyed it since he didn't really care about what Kuran Kaname feels. Okay, maybe a reaaally tiny part of him was concerned, but talking about it with another person kind of troubled him.

If Aidou came to talk to him again after tonight's work, Zero would report Kaname's suspicion about their relationship and asked him to stop doing this. After all, even though perhaps none of these things would affect him, he still didn't like it.

"Pull yourself together, Zero," he mumbled to himself, his fingers started utilising the mouse, "it's time to work."

(*-*)

Aidou came again right when the office hour ended. Zero had to give credits to his precision and determination. However, this had to stop. He had to put a stop to it. Zero wasn't sure why, but the more he spent time with Aidou, the more unsettled he became. And it was not because Aidou was a vampire who frontally declared a war against him back in high school. He was over it, somehow.

The noble came at the same time as the pureblood exited his office. The brunet didn't look surprised, but Zero was sure, sensing from his aura, he was more pissed than the previous days. Aidou and Kaname exchanged looks for a nanosecond. Zero didn't pay attention to it, but he could feel there was more than just glances between them. Well, hope it's a good thing.

"I'm going back first, Kiryuu," Kaname said. "Have a good day's sleep, both of you," he added coldly. Aidou nodded stiffly, trying to look like his usual bouncy self around his lord, but failed miserably.

"Thank you very much, Kaname-sama."

Zero and Aidou waited for a while until Kaname's presence had subsided, then Zero turned off the computer and they were ready to go.

"You're quiet," Zero remarked as they went down the elevator.

"Hm," Aidou mumbled, not looking at the hunter. Okay, that was new. He always gave a smart reply on every Zero's comment about him.

"You're not going to come and perform this act tomorrow, are you? The welcome home party for the finance manager is the day after tomorrow, that means tomorrow that pureblood bastard will be working our asses off until one of us collapse."

It was then that Aidou looked up to him. "Don't insult Kaname-sama, you lowlife."

"What are we going to do today? Eat dinner like usual?" Zero was reluctant to use the word usual, since things had only been happening for three days. Usual felt like they'd been a couple for a long time.

Aidou didn't answer, but they trotted down the same road to Zero's apartment. Even though the hunter vastly preferred silence, this kind of silence was a bit unnerving. Aidou was usually very talkative that he always found a new topic even before they finished talking about one thing. Just yesterday he was really exuberant, saying this method was going to be very successful and that Kaname would be coming asking for him to come back in less than a week.

But it seemed Aidou was very gloomy. Zero recalled when the blonde opened his door, he was beaming like the previous days. What transpired between Aidou and Kaname earlier in the office? Was it bad?

When they finally arrived at the apartment, they still hadn't exchanged any more words. Zero inserted the key and spun it. The door was unlocked. They went inside.

Zero loosened his tie and sat on his bed.

"If you're not going to do anything, go home," he finally said.

Aidou glared, crossing his arms. "No, I still have some things to say to you."

"And what is that? Hurry, I'm tired."

"Why did Kaname-sama look at me that way?"

"What way?"

"Like he did earlier!"

Zero frowned. "Sorry, but I didn't pay attention. If he looks angry, isn't it good? That's what you're after, after all. With that, this whole charade is as good as over. You don't have to come to the office at dawn and come here anymore."

But Zero's words seemed to make Aidou even more pissed. "Kaname-sama looked angry at me, but it wasn't as I hoped."

"What part of it was different from your expectation?"

"You're asking me?"

Zero stood up. "Yes, I'm fucking asking you, you crazy pureblood-worshipper!"

"Fine, I'll tell you. Kaname-sama looked angry, but it wasn't because I went out with you, but because you went out with me! Happy now?"

Zero's frowned deeper. "What does it mean?"

"It means, as if Kaname-sama was angry because I took you from him! What've you done? What have you said to Kaname-sama to make him show that expression to me? The plan is successful, but to a completely different result! He's jealous at _me_, not at you, like how it supposed to be!"

If it was comic, Zero's jaw would've had dropped and made a hole on the floor. He couldn't make what the noble just told him. It was too bizarre, too impossible. The pureblood angry at his own sex partner because that said sex partner was snatching away his secretary? Shouldn't it be the other way around? After all, Zero had nothing to do with the president, and he was sure enough that Kaname wouldn't act that way just because he lost a source of entertainment.

"Maybe you're reading too much into him," Zero said, trying to smack the sense into the noble in front of him. Times like this he always wondered how mysterious Fate could be. One time he had his gun pointed at the vampire in front of him, one other time he was standing there trying to console him. "Listen, Kuran really likes you. You're like... his shadow, you're always there for him."

Aidou looked to the side. "And I've been thinking that maybe such a strong light as Kaname-sama only thinks of a shadow a bother."

"That's not true," Zero said softly. Consoling people wasn't one of his strong trait, but he couldn't think of doing anything else.

"It is!" Aidou shook his head. "I can't believe I lost to someone like you, a level D, who's been defying him, and threatened to kill him in the past!"

"Listen, Aidou, there's no way it's true. That guy only likes to molest me!"

"What, you're saying that Kaname-sama likes to touch you? You're such a jerk, Kiryuu, not even telling me this from the beginning. I know, this is part of revenge, isn't it? Revenge at me? You pretend to help me, while you know already things are against me. I bet this is all just an amusement to you, huh? Then, go to hell, you son of a bitch! I DON'T WANT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU ANYMORE!"

And then Zero heard a cracking sound that came from behind. He looked back to see his bed was turned into an iceberg. When he was going to get all angry at the noble, Aidou had fled away.

(*-*)

"Hey," Takuma greeted with genuine pleasure in his voice. "It's rare for you to call, and so late. What's up?"

"Isn't Yuki's welcome home party the night after tonight?" said the deep voice from the other side of the line.

"It's in the morning, so it's the day after tomorrow, Akatsuki," Takuma chuckled. "Are you part of the escort team to the airport?"

"Yeah, and I'm afraid I'll forget. I've been very busy lately. Hanabusa has been crashing at my place looking all dark and gloomy."

"I heard. He called me yesterday, saying Kaname doesn't love him anymore."

"It's actually the nth time he whines about that, and every time Kaname will come to cheer him up. But things are different, now, eh?"

Takuma sighed. _So _this_ is what you want to say_, he thought, as he flipped the pages of the report from the Council. "You noticed?"

"Only someone as blind as Hanabusa wouldn't," Akatsuki said scornfully. "Seriously, I don't know what to do with him. He's hopeless about Kaname. Don't you think it's not healthy? I mean, he's still young and charming—not my words, mind you. He can't let himself be drowned in something impossible like that."

"I understand your point, Akatsuki. But I can't blame him, either," Takuma said, pausing for a second, before saying, "because I'm the same."

"We're entangled in such a troublesome mess, aren't we?"

Takuma laughed. "Times like this, I always wonder how I end up this way." He heard Akatsuki laughed, too. "But no use fretting over matted yarn, if I'm the one who matted it, I suppose."

"You're right. So, any suggestion on what to do with the vampire who's bawling his eyes out in my bedroom, now?"

"Offer him some candy, maybe?"

"He's not that childish and we both know it."

"Or engage him in your usual ice and fire combat. Perhaps a little heat will melt away his frozen heart."

Akatsuki was silent for a moment, and then he said, "Takuma, are you aware that what you said was lame?"

(*-*)

"That fucking asshole. I'm gonna fuck his pretty ass with a hunter riffle until he breaks and bleeds and moan for more and beg me to stop at the same time. That son of a bitch, that world's unrecyclable trash. He doesn't know even one drop of what's called desperation and he dared saying that to me? Son of a bitch, world's unrecyclable trash..."

"Mind if I ask you what irritates you so much this early?" Kaname's voice interrupted his train of thought. Zero turned at him, eyes looking angry, hurt, and wanting to kill someone or something.

"Lack of sleep, that's why! And if you're going to ask why I'm sleep-deprived, ask your pretty, round-assed lackey who's always looking at you as if you're jewel worth billions of dollars."

Zero couldn't believe he used the word pretty twice to describe Aidou. And what was that? He was thinking of fucking him? Gosh, that was perverted. Figures. Kaname's germs should've had infected him.

Kaname looked a little amused, though. As if saying, "That's what you get for going out with him." However, he sounded composed when he said, "What did he do?"

"He froze my bed, for the love of—" Zero stopped. Even thinking about his bed that needed at least one week of sun bathing made him all furious and his muscles stiff. He had to hold something or his motor nerves would snap. He chose the mouse, which immediately making soft creaking sound, ready to break if he added just a little more power.

"And what did you do to make him did that?"

It was as good an opportunity as any, Zero thought. Why not vent all his anger at his boss, who was willingly ready right now? Everything was all his fault, after all. If he hadn't ditched his pureblood-freak noble, this wouldn't have to happen. No, thinking further back, if he hadn't screwed with that already insane blonde, things wouldn't come out this way at all! It was all thanks to his perverted mind and insatiable dick.

That dickhead.

Seriously.

Gah.

"Forget it. Forget I ever said anything. Don't talk to me anymore."

Zero decided to focus his attention to the computer screen. No use talking about this now. Everything had ended already. Aidou didn't come again the next morning after he did that. Zero was hoping, a little, that Aidou would appear in the office the next dawn, so he could shoot that pretty head and bid him farewell. But he didn't, like any man with mind would do. And it wasn't like Zero really wanted to meet him. Gah. He could just go to hell and Zero wouldn't mind.

"Wait, how did you become so cold? Seriously, what happened to Hanabusa? Takuma said something about crashing at someone's place and crying all night long."

"Crying all night long?" Zero scoffed. "I should be the one to do that. You don't know how it feels to sleep on the floor when you're dead tired from work. But why should _you_ know? Your job never tires you, anyway. You have people under you to do things you don't like."

"Hey, I don't like the sound of that. Why are you angry at me?"

"You're still asking me why?"

"But I haven't been doing anything lately. I haven't even touched you again."

"Dude, that word never sounded so wrong before."

"Oh, I see..." Kaname's voice drifted and vanished. Zero stopped typing to look at him. The way Kaname sounded the oh-I-see made his guard up.

"What?"

"You're lonely because I haven't been touching you."

"Whaaat?"

"If so, then all you have to do just ask! I'll be more than happy to service you." Kaname took steps towards Zero, one hand reaching out to touch the hunter's... any part of his body he could reach. The ex-human raised out his arm to stop his boss in his tracks. How did it turn out this way? This pervert! All he had in mind was that all along! He should've had guessed that when Kaname suddenly started conversation with him.

"Stop there. I'm not going to let you do anything as you please anymore!"

"What can you do anyway? Even if you tell, do you think people will believe you over me?" Kaname smirked, clearly enjoying teasing Zero. Zero eye-twitched. "Just as you already know, even when I'm the one pinning you down the floor, I'll end up being the victim."

"You're twisted! That's power abuse."

"Power abuse is only a term one uses to accuse the other of higher authority to make them look bad. There is no such thing as power abuse when you're powerful enough to even bend the nature."

"Still doesn't mean you can bend me to you," Zero snarled. This was going nowhere, he knew. The only way to stop Kaname from starting his perverted ministrations was to physically harm him. And Zero was more than ready to take drastic measures. The pureblood wouldn't kill him right then and there anyway, so what to be afraid of?

However, once again Kaname made Zero smacked his forehead mentally for over-reading things, when he stopped and crossed his arms, his stance was too relax for an attack. He was engaging the hunter for more talk.

"Anyway, there is still one thing that's not yet clear here. Tell me the whole story about you and Hanabusa. You have to tell me everything, every details, don't hide even a miniscule plot from me. I want to know."

Zero's heartbeat picked up, somehow. "Is there even anything to clarify?"

"Let me tell you something so you know where to start," Kaname sat at the edge of the table. "I think you and Hanabusa aren't going out."

"And why is whether I'm or I'm not going out with that prick has something to do with you?"

Kaname frowned. He stared at Zero closely it made the silveret uneasy. It was the kind of look that was not in the staring-contest-look category. It was also different from the emotional type. It was deeper, as if it was meant as a means of communication, to convey the deep feelings that one could not utter through words. Because sometimes tongue and lips could make a great deceptive combination.

Zero found himself astounded that he was actually looking at Kaname's deep red irises, even though he wanted to look away so much.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kaname whispered.

"What is?"

Kaname had opened his mouth to answer, when they heard a soft knock on the door. The marketing manager was there with a pile of file folders in hands. Kaname nodded as permission for him to open the door.

"Excuse me, Sir," the manager said as he entered the room. He took one careful glance at Zero, clearly astonished seeing the president sitting on his secretary's table and they were looking like having a warm, friendly talk. He then continued, "These are the materials for the next project plan. I've sorted them out alphabetically, and they're marked with these labels. The documents in here"—he searched through the folders and then took the second from the bottom—"need to be signed. Oh, and there's also a written request included in that folder."

Kaname reached out to take over the folders, raising one eyebrow when saying, "Written request?"

"About the commercial, Sir."

Kaname looked surprised. "Oh. Alright. Thank you. You can go now," he shooed the manager.

The manager bowed down and then went out. Kaname sighed, he stayed perched on Zero's table while he scanned through the folders. Zero decided to let him be; it was a rare chance to see him thinking when at work, so he supposed talking to the boss now would ruin his concentration and made him all lazy again.

However—as if he could read whatever thought running through the hunter's silver head like usual—Kaname stood up and then put the folders on the table, just by the mouse. Zero looked up.

"What?"

"Review these documents, recheck all of them and report to me after lunch. And sign everything that needs it if you think necessary," the boss said. "Any question?"

Zero almost couldn't say anything, but he forced the air to go through his throat. "Wait, isn't it your job? And why are you giving me authority to decide which proposal to be approved?" He peeked into a few folders. There were a lot in there. He was traumatized when working with folders earlier and hoped to never have to work on them again.

Kaname smiled cunningly. "I trust your judgment. Well then, have fun working."

And then the president disappeared into his room. Zero was sure he heard the door being locked from inside. That freakin' S.O.B!

(*- **10 PM, airport** -*)

"Mm... it feels so nice... I hope Nii-sama will be glad with my present." *giggle*

(*- **11 PM, Clan Group building** -*)

Zero groaned. He finally got to the last folder. It was tough doing his usual job plus the boss's. Don't get him wrong. Zero was smart and capable, but he had limitations. Even though he could move lightning fast, didn't mean he could process information as fast. That was one of the setbacks of being a vampire, though maybe the higher level ones could do something about it. Sometimes when you achieve one kind of power, you would lose another. That's just how the world works.

Lunch time had just started. Zero didn't check the clock, since he had too much to read, but the sound of many footsteps outside of his office told him the vampires in this floor were moving out for a break. He was hungry. But he had to finish the job so he could submit them right after the break was over.

The boss didn't come out of his room. Judging from the faint voices that went through the thick door, he had been on the phone since early night (since he pushed down his job to Zero). It must have something to do with the welcoming party this dawn.

Zero didn't know anything about the finance manager that was coming back today, but from the other secretary's gossips that he overheard (he didn't mean to eavesdrop, alright), he could guess who she was. Well, if Kuran was doing that much, that person couldn't be just anyone. That alone was a solid fact.

And every time Zero was thinking about it, his chest would feel constricted, as if hundreds of invisible threads were around him and being pulled to every direction. Zero had forgotten most of it, so when the thought could inflict that much pain, he was dumbfounded. He didn't know heartbreak could stay with him for a long time (even though it was only a short while for most vampires).

The thoughts of her, on top of everything, were the main reason he couldn't be at ease these days, it seemed. Even when he had much in his hands—the obnoxious, insufferable, demanding boss and his envious lackey, the job, the blood thirst—those memories always surfaced just to make things worse. After Aidou froze his bed and left him cursing the blonde with names that would make people in this era shudder, Zero suddenly became reminded of her and wondered if letting Aidou did as he pleased was his way of escaping.

Zero scoffed. Even now, when he was contemplating on adding Kuran's stamp on the letter which asked Kuran to appear in TV commercial, he was thinking about this old problem, making his already dark mood intensified.

"Get over it, Zero," he mumbled to himself, deciding on not signing the letter. He figured the vampire prince didn't want to be more famous that he already had. On top of many things, vampires disliked publicity. Shiki Senri was one of a few exceptions (but Zero still had a feeling that the model didn't really enjoy being ogled at wherever he was going). Even Aidou wouldn't want to appear on TV to say, "It's good that there's something even I can handle!*" and wink an eye cutely.

"Heh... that's hilarious," he mumbled, again, to himself, imagining Kuran doing that. He finally glanced at the clock at the corner of the screen and saw that it was half way through the lunch break. He had to finish this so he could grab something to eat, or he'd be starving until the party. He couldn't afford that. The food that's going to be served weren't to his liking, and there'd be more drinks than food. Zero could hold human liquor well, but he couldn't be so sure about the vampire's types. His master had once said that they were times stronger than human's average beers.

Zero continued checking the remaining documents. He was a few files away from finished when his boss suddenly yelled.

(*- **TBC** -*)

* I took it from Persona 4 =D I don't remember the exact words, but I hope they're close enough (too lazy to look it up).


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**

Don't own, etc, etc...

**Dhinx**

This kinda random, but... do any of the readers listen to the Persona 4's soundtracks? I really love them :D I almost always sang along with the background music when I played the game, especially Heartbeat Heartbreak and Reach Out to the Truth XD

Welcome to chapter 8.

It's been over two months since the last time I posted. I'm really sorry... *kneel down* I spent August writing this and the 9th chapters and decided that I didn't like it and rewrote them all over again.

I have bad news. I'm going to go hiatus after chapter 9, because my life this semester will be ten times busier than the last, and therefore I need to make sacrifices. I'll need longer and longer time between posts and I think I'd better tell you guys I'm going on hiatus than letting the story hanging for months without saying anything.

But fear not, I won't abandon this story—never. I might need forever to finish it, but I assure you, as long as I can still weave plots and write them down, I'll do it.

This chapter features a character totally unrelated to Vampire Knight, and I inserted him on a whim (just like the commercial line in chapter 7).

Well then, enjoy! If it doesn't live up to your expectations, do tell me, before I continue on making poor works thinking that I'm doing alright =D

(*- **Chapter 8** -*)

(*- **1** -*)

He was greeted with the silver metal pitched skilfully at him. He avoided getting hit by it right in the eye only thanks to his reflexes. The president, sitting behind his table, looked more furious and frightening than usual, dark aura was looming around in the background and Zero wondered if he could capture that with a camera.

"What the—"

"Drive!" the boss seethed as he stood up, hands in his pocket. The dark cloud around him moved along with him. Zero staggered back. What did just happen to the most precious being in this building? He looked just fine an hour ago and now he felt like torturing Zero's driving skills with the damn piece of junk that he called a car.

"But where to?" the hunter inquired. Kaname seethed, unintentionally made his cup on the table flew to the fireplace and broke into pieces. The last portion of red tea in it instantly turned the fire off.

"The 24-hour market downtown," the president said with utmost venom in his voice. Zero had never seen the always so calm pureblood acted like this—even though he was angry, he was never go on rage.

"And why are we going there? Why me driving?"

"The event organizer I paid for the party this morning suddenly called and told me they couldn't make it today because the truck they were riding got into accident this afternoon. Most of the goods that's to be delivered before two hours ago are damaged. We have to make do with our own."

Zero frowned. "What about the money? You paid them in advance, right?"

"They said they're going to return eighty percent of the payment, but that's not the issue. I don't care about money. What I dislike is their negligence. This is why I'm not fond of human, even more so those who do last minute work. I told them to start importing the party supplies one week ahead, but they persisted. I don't know how their minds work. If they did as I told, nothing of this would happen."

They were walking towards the elevator, but it was still on the third floor. Kaname clicked his tongue in impatience and resorted to the emergency stairs. Zero hurriedly caught up to him.

"Akatsuki and the others will come at three," said Kaname. "You think two hours will suffice?"

_Might need five hours with that metal crap, if you'd spare one moment to think about it_, Zero said mentally. But he just nodded. "I'll drive as fast as I can."

"Very well."

They reached the basement quicker than if they rode on the elevator. The rundown van was at the corner where Zero parked it one month ago. The outer skin was still as annoying and the inside was still smelling like shit, but Kaname endured it and went in through the back door. Zero sat behind the steer and turn on the engine. The car roared.

"Ugh, it's as bad as I could recall..."

"Keep your comments to yourself and just drive."

"You're too cranky for your own good," Zero mumbled.

"Kiryuu, this is _Yuki's_ welcome home party. Yuki is _my sister_. I am the brother of the girl who is coming home toda—"

"Yeah, yeah, you don't need to keep emphasizing on that. I know who Yuki is already. But still... you're the president of the largest group in Japan. Even if you're lazing around, you still don't have time to organize a welcome home party."

"If you haven't understood what I meant, let me retell you: Yuki is my sister—"

"Alright! Yuki is your sister. And you're the brother of the girl who is coming home today, a siscon and also an obnoxious, immodest, slave-driver bastard who happens to be the president of the largest group in Japan."

"There, it isn't hard to get, is it?"

Zero glanced at the mirror, at Kaname who was watching the cold and serene road. It was the first time he was talking about Yuki again after years, and he had to do it with the person whose name was at the top of his I-don't-want-to-talk-about-this-with list.

After he knew that Yuki was a pureblood, he unconsciously distanced himself from her. It was too weird to feel a pureblood presence nearby and only found the petite girl in sight. Zero was too accustomed to the human Yuki that after she changed, he couldn't accept her anymore. Yuki must have felt his uneasiness, and decided it was imperative of her to move to the Moon Dorm, to live with her brother whom she always admired and loved. Zero did not know what the relationship between the Kuran siblings after Kaname changed Yuki, but he heard from his master that incest in vampire society wasn't something of taboo.

So that's how his first love ended. After high school graduation he entered university while Yuki moved abroad with her brother and Zero didn't hear from her anymore. He supposed Yuki sent letters to Chairman Cross, but none of the word got through to him. The only name whom Zero heard mentioned by his foster father was the older Kuran's, and as the news were always trivial Zero paid no attention to it.

Sometimes, thinking back on how they used to act around each other, it brought a sardonic smile to his face. How he ended up in the same place as he did before—with only slight difference, it was somehow amusing. When he thought as successful businessman as Kuran Kaname would not stay in his home country like normal people (like some generals of the hunter association who had their own side business), he was faced with an inevitable truth that he was to work under the said pureblood. Zero still remembered how he felt when he saw Kaname entering the room in which he was supposed to be interviewed. The moment he read the name Clan Group in the fax his sensei sent to him earlier that night, he had felt his stomach fluttered—but it was nothing compared to when he actually met Kuran Kaname in person, after such a long time.

Zero would sometimes laugh recalling how Kaname looked back then. Arrogant, intimidating, but enchanting as always, with black dress shirt and dark blue jeans. His fashion style, Zero noted, had become better compared to ten years ago. Back then, Kaname only wore formal suits—now he knew there was something called jeans which could make his round ass looked prettier. But that didn't matter, for his facial expression was what Zero would call rarity. Kaname's deep red eyes were cold, but Zero could see the hint of bewilderment in there. Still now the hunter couldn't decide whether that look in Kaname's eyes was good news or completely the opposite.

"Kiryuu," Kaname said out of the blue.

"What?"

"How do you feel?"

Zero frowned. "Bad. I'm getting carsick even as I drive."

"That's not what I mean."

"What, then?"

Kaname paused. Then he shrugged.

"Well... Yuki's coming home today. And without a doubt, the two of you will meet."

"Ah, that." Zero glanced at the mirror. Kaname was still watching the scenery outside. "What kind of answer do you expect? If I have to say how I'm feeling, then I can't say anything. I'm a little happy, I guess. She's an old friend, after all."

Kaname scoffed. "An old friend whom you've not been in contact for ten long years?"

"Hey, I don't need someone as a loner as you to criticize me on how I treat my friends, alright. And how did you know Yuki never contacted me?"

"Because I read her letters. Yuki never write letters for you."

"That's serious violation of privacy rights."

"That's irrelevant. She's my little sister, so it's only natural that I want to keep her safe."

"By reading her letters?"

"Who knows if she was meeting some delinquent in the streets?"

Zero paused, thinking about Kaname's answer. "Do you believe a pureblood descent as her is in grave danger and totally helpless when she meets street thugs? Do you seriously believe that?" his eyes widened. People's fears could make them dumb sometimes—and pureblood vampires were just the dumbest of all.

"Yuki's soul's just too pure and gentle."

"She's still like that? I thought living with you would evolve her into some abhorrent monster."

"How can you talk that way about your old friend?"

"Ha, you said someone who didn't contact me for years wasn't a friend anymore?"

Kaname clamped his mouth shut at Zero's remark. The hunter smiled victoriously at him through the mirror. Zero was very adorable, but sometimes too dauntless it aroused the predator instinct within him.

"We're straying off topic."

"What do you want to talk about, anyway?"

"Don't play dumb. I knew you were in love with her," Kaname sighed. Zero's frown deepened. He did not want to talk about Yuki if that was the topic. "I knew it even at the first time I met you, that you only had her in your eyes."

Now it was Zero's turn to scoff. "Even if that's true, I don't see why it's any of your business at all."

"Well, I spent years to keep her from you, Kiryuu," Kaname said with absolute honesty. "She was the only one I cared for, and I promised myself to always make her the highest priority. I never had time to think about myself. All I did was for her. It was after I banished my uncle from the society that I start to get my life back in order. Now, I only want to know whether you still harbour the same feelings for her."

Zero made a face, but he didn't answer. If he had to say that he still loved Yuki, it was completely wrong. That feeling had dried up long ago, evaporated, dissolved into thin air. But he couldn't say he'd be comfortable working with her around. Was it the limit—should he resign the desk work and get back to the front lines? But he wondered about that, too. (Minus the perverted boss whose hobby was to molest him) He really enjoyed working as a salaryman. The pay was pretty, (minus the additional paperworks that were his boss's responsibility) the workload was bearable, and the working hour was regular—he could manage an organised life.

_Or perhaps I'm just made for battles_, Zero mused. perchance

The 24-hour market was around half an hour away from their location. Zero drove carefully as to not make himself sick from driving—it was a wonder how he could speed up the last time they used the car.

"Kuran, I just realize something really stupid," Zero said. He saw Kaname looking at the back of his head in the mirror, full attention. "If you want to travel fast, why don't use the limo?"

That pretty face turned into a blank face. "Why? Because I don't want my limo soiled, of course."

"But we're not going to some remote area with rough roads. We're actually going into town."

"That's true, but it's not a harmless trip. Someone might be waiting for me among the crowds."

"Who? A friend? A foe? Another pureblood?"

"He's the same pureblood as last time—"

"WHAT?!" Zero impulsively kicked the brake and the car abruptly stopped. If only the person in the back wasn't a vampire, he'd have slipped down his seat and injured himself because of the sudden force. The car stopped in the middle of the street, but fortunately the place was empty and nothing could have had hit them from behind. "What do you mean by that? Explain!"

"Well, from your reaction, you thought that guy was dead."

Zero cried, "Of course! With you coming back wounded, I thought you guys had a mortal fight."

"We did, but I couldn't kill him. And now he's back to threaten me."

"So the real reason of our venture is..."

"It;s high chance we'll run into him."

"And why does this bastard have anything to do with your party?"

"He was the cause of the accident I mentioned earlier."

Zero groaned. "You should've said that in the beginning!" He was glad he asked—Kaname seemed to be planning on not telling him anything until the very last moment. Darn that bastard!

"Don't get all fumy and steamy now. Keep driving, or we'll lose more time."

Zero scowled, but he agreed they had to move faster. Kaname leaned back on the window, staring outside. They were entering an outer part of the 24-hour market, and Zero started seeing a few people. They looked like normal citizens, the plain civil servants. It wasn't surprising to see such decent people going to market at this time of the night. Some of the shops offered the after midnight sale, and it was the only hours people with average salary could buy prestigious goods for insane prices.

"It's true what they say: you reap what you sow," Kaname mumbled. "A simple fling with a pureblood who wished to share my power ended up being a chaotic mess that not only involved me and my pure blood, but also my close friends. I'm afraid I'm going to get more people mixed up in the trouble I created if I don't quickly stop him."

"Why are you suddenly talking?"

Kaname shook his head, smiling ruefully. "Only want to share my thoughts... since you're pretty eager to know what happened."

(*-*)

Zero parked the car in the parking lot near the dept store, which was actually an empty lot owned by the government. He last read about it on the newspaper, that it was going to be built for a recreation park, as part of the mayor's project of his Healthy Inside Fresh Outside vision.

Their destination was a very lively part of the town though it was almost two in the morning. Humans filling the streets, with cars, stands, or simply with themselves. Zero wondered if it was the reason why most of the residential area near Clan Group building was quiet during vampire work hour. Either their instinct told them to stay away from the building packed with vampires, or there was some kind of authority making this arrangement, it sounded like a good idea. The 24-hour market was particularly crowded, since it offered many kinds of things, including prostitutes. Loud music banged into their beings as they strolled through masses of people. There were girls talking quickly in some unintelligible language, calling in customers to their shops. Zero saw some men also doing the same thing. Bars and love hotels lining up as far as the eyes could see. Street vendors were just as loud.

"I didn't know 24-hour market is this _bawdy_," Zero shouted to beat the deafening music. He couldn't comprehend how these people around him looked really enjoying themselves. Vampiric hearing or not, this intensity was crushing. He could feel his heart thumping and his lungs being pressurized. Zero didn't fond of loud music after all (even though his appearance was that of a sexy rocker).

"Have you never come here before?" Kaname asked.

"No. This place doesn't provide vampire hunter's necessities," the silveret said. "And I never had the time, either."

What a crowd... So many lives, so much blood, and they were offered for free. With this many people, even Kaname's aura can be concealed without him even trying. That notion made Zero increased his guard up; that pureblood could be among these people, preying on fresh blood. Humans can be very dense due to their ignorance; the idea of having a vampire as their bed-warmer might excited them to the wrong direction.

"Where are we going now?" the hunter asked. He hated having to yell every time he needed to talk.

"To the shop owned by a friend of mine," Kaname said. "It's a little further ahead. After we passed all the love hotels and bars around this area, there are a few fast food restaurants, and after that antique shops. These antique shops don't only sell ancient relics from some old civilizations, but also occult thingies which helped them shoo away burglars—most human think of such exotic goods fearsome."

"And how does this amazing friend of yours related to the pureblood or even the absence of the event organizer you hired?"

"He's good with shady things, and he always has information. That's why I need to make sure that he's okay, because I can't afford to let him injured. And I need some things from him. I don't know how he does it, but he always have anything I need regardless the time."

"Is he a human, or vampire?"

Kaname paused, before saying, "If only I could, I'd put him in a wholly different category. He is not a vampire, but his life style, his personality, isn't that of a human. You'll understand when you meet him. But first... we have to go through this layers of people, which, I believe, won't be an easy task."

If he's not a vampire, then he'll be in any way human, Zero thought deeply. But Kaname's words kind of intrigued him. Kaname was a strange fellow himself—for him to acknowledge another person's strangeness was worthy of note. Anyway, Zero hadn't time to ponder over it too much, because, as Kaname just said, it wasn't easy to get through this many people. It was strange how the area could be this crowded so late at night—no, it was almost dawn, alright!

Zero glanced at Kaname, but the pureblood neither seemed annoyed nor furious. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying himself. Zero nodded mentally. He knew how the pureblood was brought up—he was the prince of the vampires, and he was always surrounded by his loyal followers. Being among the people who didn't even spare him a glance might be felt like a rare vacation for him.

And as his attention was too focused on the brunet, he was late realizing someone was coming after them.

"Hey, handsome... wanna some?" a girl suddenly popped out of nowhere and clung onto Kaname's, her breasts were pressing Kaname's upper arm, almost pinching him. Zero held a restrained growl at the sight. He felt like a hungry lion ready to pounce on anything on sight.

The girl wasn't that pretty, but she had nerve! How dare she flirted with Kaname when Zero was standing there beside attractive pureblood! She should have her eyes examined!

Kaname, on the contrary, refused politely. "I'm afraid I have to decline, Miss. I have an errand to attend to."

That wasn't enough to make the girl with thick make up to give up. She kept hugging Kaname's arm as if it was the world's biggest treasure from some ancient civilization.

"Aw, come on... your friend can come, too. Threesome is so _hawt_," she slurred the last word while closing in on Kaname's face, wanting to have a taste. She winked an eye at Zero naughtily.

But Zero was nowhere near benign at her.

"Shut the fuck up, bitch," the silveret snapped before he knew what he was doing. "Are you deaf? He said we've got problems here, so piss off!"

Kaname almost laugh. The three of them stopped, because now Zero and the call girl were glaring at each other like two kittens fighting over a chunk of tuna. Kaname couldn't help with the image of Zero with cat ears standing with arms spread in front of him, shielding him from any threat. He suddenly felt the urge to cuddle the hunter right then and there and forget about anything else.

"Come again?" the girl blinked in disbelief. She was physically endowed so Kaname presumed that she might not accustomed to rejection.

"I said go away! This guy's a fag and I'm his lover. Leave us the hell alone!" And then, Zero took Kaname's arm and dragged the brunet away. The girl looked as if she was just being slapped.

Crowds of ignorant people soon separate them from the angry girl, and the tension from the fight slowly seeped out of Zero's hot head—leaving a tinge of self-hate and regret. Did he really say what he thought he said? Zero didn't remember completely; he did it on the impulse. He noticed he was holding onto Kaname very tightly, and quickly took his hands off of the grinning brunet.

"Don't get the wrong idea," he mumbled, praying to any God who'd hear that Kaname wouldn't use tonight's incident as a way to come back at him. Acting without thinking like that was embarrassing enough.

"Sure," Kaname said, there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I'm serious Kuran. That girl was annoying and I only wanted this job to be over with as soon as possible." He wasn't even sure why he was trying so hard on explaining.

"Don't worry."

Zero glared—Kaname didn't sound so serious—but didn't make a retort. The brunet would just respond with a deathly retaliation anyway. Something including pulling him into an embrace in front of so many people and kissing him out of his own will—hey, hey, hey! Zero smacked himself mentally. Did he just fantasize about that? Brrr... must be because of the atmosphere... people were making out everywhere in this boulevard. Zero found himself in stunning amazement as he saw that more than seventy percent of the citizens in the street were flirting.

"I'm happy you said that," Kaname finally said after a few moments. "It's official now, eh?"

"What is?"

"Us."

Zero was too tired to answer. A thick skull must be one of a pureblood's self-defence mechanism.

"Firstly first, Kuran, there is one thing one must do before he can get 'official' with another person," Zero said. "And it's not a matter of gender. I thought a refined being as you are, who has the ability to be old-fashioned, knew what it is."

"What do you mean?"

"Please, think about it by yourself. You can't expect me to assist in everything you do. And don't start spouting this nonsense anymore if you haven't figured out the essence of what I just said. Topic closed. Now focus on the job, weren't you the one who wanted to finish it fast?"

And so they strode down the road in silence. Kaname let Zero walk ahead of him and quietly savouring the sight of the hunter's broad back. The light-coloured shirt he wore was a little transparent and Kaname could see the lines of the undergarment beneath. The shoulder blades movements as Zero let his arms swing at his sides looked sexy and inviting. Kaname almost reached out his hand to touch them, had he not remembered they were out in the public and the scene of someone being shot and turned to ash might be a little too much for the common townspeople.

He remembered the day when the hunter came to his office for an interview. Interview was the only chance he had to reject whoever the association brought upon him. Through the interview, he could find faults in the spy hunter, and he could send them back to where they belonged. After the nth hunter (he had lost count), he had prepared the questions he knew would put the hunter in a tight position and the association wouldn't be able to find replacements quick enough. He was sure he could send this one down—but then he melted at the sight of those lavender orbs.

Kaname never had time to think of anything romantic—even though he had gone out with a few people in the past. The relationships between him and them were only sexual. Among his many past lovers, some of them were seriously in love with him, and, he wouldn't deny, he had hurt them. But having relationship with him was full of risk to begin with—he had pressed over that matter before he began anything. Wasn't it unfair that he had to take responsibility on the uncountable amount of broken hearts when he had laid out the possibilities to them?

Day by day he lived in fear—yes, Kaname had his own share of fears—that someday when he met the one he would stake his life on the line for, he would have to face disappointment.

But then again… resting your hopes on someone was never easy, was it? When you wanted someone to look at you, you had to cast away your pride and bare your true self in front of them. That was one thing Kaname had not done whole-heartedly up until then.

"Which one is it?" Zero asked, pointing at the shops ahead of them. A few of them were already closed. Some other had 24-hour open sign on their doors.

"It's a little hidden from sight," said Kaname. "The owner likes to play pranks and puzzles, that his shop can't be found easily. He always regularly redecorate his shop."

Kaname studied the buildings at their left side. Four shops were open, and to Zero all of them looked totally ordinary. Two of them sold antique goods, but they didn't seem so special. Historic urns here and there, photographs, ornate seating.

The brunet suddenly sprang towards one of the normal shop with traditional Japanese decorations at the front. From the outside, it looked like a shop selling normal daily necessities. Brooms, mops, and jugs were visible through the dusty glass windows. It looked more like a storage room than a shop. Kaname put his hand on the door knob and slid it to the right. The bell jingled as he entered.

"This place has the ability to be overlooked," Zero commented. He bent down to see weird candies in the display. It was shocking to look at their prices; they were expensive. "What kind of crazy fuck will spend that much yen on candies?" he muttered to himself. The other displays showed gem decorations, ancient chinaware, and fake body parts which looked so real they made Zero sick. In the corner of the room there stood a mannequin wearing armours which seemed to be from the 17th century. There were also a rack of black traditional robes.

"Something isn't right," Kaname mumbled.

"Huh?"

The pureblood rang the bell and then waited. There was no response.

"Is the shop owner hiding?" Zero said, extending his senses so he could feel whether there was someone in the house. If he liked playing with his customers—

"No…" Kaname shook his head. "He's possibly incapacitated."

"WHAT?!"

"Come."

The pureblood moved towards the sliding door right across the entrance. Zero followed. The stench of blood hung in the air. The hunter could feel his eyes changing colour and his fangs grew. The blood was almost dried and it smelled rotten, but still the essence made his throat craved to be sated.

"What did happened—"

The room beyond the sliding door was a mess. The table was flipped. The television screen was broken. There were holes on the floor. Blood was staining the wallpapers. The shop owner must have had put charms on the door, making any scent or aura locked in his private chambers. It was a logical explanation, since Kaname had clearly mentioned that the owner was a strange fella—and the fact that he had a pureblood vampire as a customer was enough prove that he was indeed a special creature.

Kaname moved to the other room, and then Zero heard his cry.

"Urahara!"

Zero quickly changed location.

The next room to the living room was a kitchen. A few dishes were at the sink and some others were on the floor, shattered. A few chairs had fallen down. The dining table was chopped into two. There was a door leading to the building's back yard, where Zeo could see laundry Near the door to the back yard, was Kaname, back facing Zero, holding an unconscious man, a white-green striped hat was nearby.

(*-*)

She gasped as the petite brunet girl strolled across the lobby at her direction. Those thin lips stretched to the left and right, forming a warm smile. Her big bright eyes were shining with anticipation.

"Hey," the girl greeted. She hauled two suitcases which were almost as big as her body.

"Kuran Yuki-sama," the receptionist quickly bowed down. "Welcome home. This building has been very quiet without you." She was not just appeasing the pureblood girl. When Kuran Yuki was still in the office, there was never a day without ruckus and high-pitched giggles. She liked to pull pranks, and most of the vampires in the Clan Group were victims to her amusement. Her big brother was no exception.

"Thank you," Yuki said. "But why are you all looking so surprised?" she looked around.

"We thought you might not come back until a little later," the receptionist explained. "Kuran Kaname-sama has invited everyone to your welcome home party, but it is not due until office hour is over."

Yuki chuckled. "Ah, that's right. I remember I gave Nii-sama a false flight schedule. My plane arrived three hours earlier. I wanted to give him a little surprise."

"He must be very delighted, Yuki-sama."

"You think so? Well, I'm going upstairs, then!"

"Wish you have a good time, Yuki-sama."

Yuki waved her hand at the receptionist girl and then walked to the lift. She did not like working in the office with fixed schedule, but as long as she was together with her brother, anything was fine. Besides, all the people in this building were very funny, she couldn't help to not leave them alone. Of course, her blood status being pure was very handy in that matter.

She waited for one minute before the elevator opened empty in front of her. _Silly Nii-sama, he didn't even check the actual schedule_, she chuckled to herself. She hummed merrily to herself while the elevator continued upwards without interruption.

It took a while until she finally got to the 23rd floor. She walked straight past the lobby. Her brother's office was just ahead—strange… she couldn't feel his presence. A woman came out of the general secretary's office, bringing a huge pile of papers. When she saw Yuki walking at her direction, she squeaked, the documents in her hands fell and scattered down the floor.

"Yuki-sama!"

"Hey… is Nii-sama in his office?" Yuki asked while she helped the poor secretary gathering the papers.

"Unfortunately, no," said the secretary. She was the R&D manager's secretary if Yuki remembered right. "I was going to give these papers to him, but no one answered. His secretary is absent, too. Maybe they went out together. And sorry for my rudeness. Welcome home, Yuki-sama! But… I thought you were supposed to arrive at dawn?"

Yuki smiled. "No, I gave Nii-sama the wrong time. I wanted to surprise him… but he's not here, huh?"

The secretary nodded and took her leave. That was when Yuki heard the phone rang in the president's office. Sighing tiredly, she invited herself into the secretary's office, then to the president's. The desk phone was beeping. She took it.

"Kaname," said the voice in the other end, and Yuki recognised it very well, "your sister's plane arrived three hours ago, and she might be on the way to your office right now. You got the wrong schedule."

"Akatsuki-san," Yuki said slowly, "it's been a while since I heard from you."

Yuki could feel the caller was taken aback. She could also pick up the noisiness of the airport in the background.

"Yuki? You're already there?"

"Yes. Sorry for tricking all of you."

Kain sighed. "At least you're safe. You gotta tell Kaname it's your fault that I miss your arrival, got that? By the way, where's Kaname?"

"I don't know… he was not here when I arrived. Seems like he didn't tell anyone he was going, because the receptionist didn't tell me anything."

Kain sighed again. "That's weird... Alright… if he didn't tell anyone, maybe he wasn't going for long. Just wait there like a good girl, alright? Don't put me in a tight spot."

Yuki laughed. "Don't worry, I'll behave… for now."

After a few words, the connection was ended. Yuki went around the table and sat on the boss chair. Her brother was away and he might come back any second, but somehow she was anxious. She decided that surprises could wait until later. She took out her phone and typed a message.

(*-** 2** -*)

"What just—"

The air became thick it was hard for them to breathe. Zero closed his eyes and everything around him felt very narrow, very tight. He imagined he was being pushed down a tight rubber pipe. He could not hear anything—as if he was on a teleportation process and could nor reach his destination, floating in the nothingness. His body was pressed from all direction, parts where his body was soft were pressed even harder. He didn't know how to describe it anymore—whether it was painful, or whether he was numb. It was the most foreign sensation he had ever felt, and he decided he'd never want a repeat. He wondered if it'd feel like this to be out in the outer space not wearing the astronaut suit. Or was he already in there? Was he already stranded in the middle of nowhere?

Suddenly, before he could think of his situation any more, he could hear someone talked. It took a moment for him to realize he was hearing the voice in his head. The calm, soothing voice that he was familiar with. The voice he heard everyday. And before he could think about that, too, he found himself leaning closer to that presence that had uninvitedly come into his mind, feeling a small touch of peacefulness where that voice came from.

"Relax, I'll get you out of there."

In his imagination, a hand was reaching out to him, breaking through the darkness to save him. He eagerly took that hand, gripping on it tightly, treating it like his lifeline. Zero never really depended on anything, even Bloody Rose that always gave him a sense of safety, and thinking that his life could end just because he let that hand go was very uncharacteristic of him. But he hung on to it nonetheless, squeezing those lean fingers, even almost clawing on the palm.

"What did just happen?" Zero panted when he came back to Earth, opening his eyes wide and breathing raggedly through his mouth, as if afraid that if he didn't do so, he would once again be plunged into darkness where everything was uncertain. Kaname was hovering over him, his look was that of genuine anxiety and helplessness. But Zero was too relieved to be able to feel the ground beneath him again that he didn't take note of Kaname's unusual behaviour.

"He just penetrated your mind, trying to take control of your body and forcefully pushing your soul out of your physique," the brunet said, his voice was a little strange thought it was as monotonous as normal.

"What?"

"It's his ability. He's very good at it."

"That was not a pretty experience."

"I'm sure it wasn't."

Zero pushed himself into sitting position and looked around. They were still in the kitchen with the broken-in-two dining table. The man lying near the door reminded him of what happened only a few minutes before—but wait… was it really just a few minutes? How long was he in there, in that blackhole? He quickly grabbed his side, taking out his gun. It was then that he finally noticed the presence of his natural enemy—another pureblood, aside from Kaname, was in there with them, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint where. He could just feel it. As if the other pureblood was everywhere, in every minuscule of dust and materials in the building. There was a sound of friction and metals clanked, pulling the hunter's attention. Kaname had summoned a pair of weapons from somewhere and now both his hands were equipped with meat cleavers.

"Let's go," the brunet said.

"Where to?"

"The place where our gracious opponent is waiting, of course."

Zero eyed the unconscious man. His brunet companion followed his gaze and sighed in complaint, but he ignored him and went to check the man. Blood had oozed out of the man's neck, pooling around him. Both the look and the smell made Zero's stomach churned. It was undoubtedly human blood, he felt the attraction to it, but why was it so different? Why did it feel so strange, as if it wasn't human blood to begin with? It was like an ultimately another being, just as Kaname said earlier.

"He's bitten," Zero said, touching the man's chest. "From the looks of it, he wasn't drained. But shouldn't that make him an ex-human, now?" he turned to Kaname as a gesture of asking. "But… strange. I don't feel the life in him."

"Don't mind it," Kaname muttered. "Our top priority is finding the perp who did this. Come on."

The company president went back to the living room and then he pushed a side door open, where it led to another broad room which was empty. It could be the house-master's bedroom, but the feel in it was too barren. Zero had had mission to break in to some targets' houses, and sometimes he found empty bedrooms. However, he could feel the character of the person inhabiting that room during the day when they slept—not so lifeless like this room. This Urahara-guy was indeed a strange individual. He started to feel stupid for worrying about that man.

Kaname stomped on the tatami floor, checking for trapdoors or exit. Zero watched him from the entrance, while questions started to flood his mind yet again. Why was that he checking the floor? Was there some kind of secret passage under this building? But of what importance did that secret passage presented them at the moment?

Kaname found the door—Zero knew it, too, since he could hear the echo beneath the floor which Kaname just kicked. He treaded the edges of the tatami block with his fingers and then pulled it upwards. Soft light emerged from downstairs, getting Zero's attention. The hunter quickly went to Kaname's side to see what was under.

"As I thought, he's here."

Zero didn't have time to question his companion, he was too amazed.

There was a stair going down into an infinitely broad desert-like landscape. It became even more outrageous when the two of them had gone down and let the tatami-door closed behind them. It was as if a whole desert from somewhere was being transported here. There was even blue sky above their heads! Zero was certain it was an artificial environment, but the situation—the temperature, the soil texture, everything felt so real. How could this be? How was this place made? They were still under the shop in the 24-hour market, right? _What_ was that Urahara-guy, really?

"Kuran… where are—"

"Later," Kaname hushed. And then disappeared.

Zero blinked—he gaped at the place where the brunet was standing, as if hoping Kaname was only joking with him and would materialise before him once again. So the hunter waited, with his fingers clasped around his gun. Waiting for Kaname to return visible…

He waited…

But the bastard did not appear.

"That freaking dipshit," Zero cursed under his breath. Leaving him alone like this was so like Kaname.

Zero spun around, searching for the signs of Kaname's presence, but he couldn't find any. This place was as quiet as the hospital at night, and even though the other pureblood's aura was still bothering him, Zero could say the one irritated him the most at the moment was the sorry excuse of a company president. If only he had even one drop of thoughtfulness in him, he'd know better than to leave the skilled but confused vampire hunter to his own devices.

But now that things had happened, Zero started walking, following the faint trails of Kaname's aura. He didn't care about the business Kaname and his enemy had between them, but this said rebelious pureblood was clearly violating the rules of human-vampire coexistence. And as the hunters had been itchy all over thinking having to live side by side with the bloodsuckers they so deeply hated, it was very rude and inconsiderate for the vampires to break the rules. They should learn to think of putting themselves in someone else's shoes, they should learn to let go of their ego and understood that they were not the only ones suffering from the peace treaty.

_But arrogance and selfishness are what they're made of_, Zero scoffed at himself for thinking of as a bizarre thing as vampires that could tolerate other life forms.

Zero stopped when he heard an explosion nearby. Nothing of his surroundings seemed to change, but he swore he heard it. Or was it the sound of two godly beings clashed? Nah, that was way too cool. Zero shook his head. _What do you think you're doing, moron? Watching some fantasy movies? Get yourself together!_

Zero took a deep breath and continued walking. He felt like he'd passed so much time, but he still couldn't see the end of this place. The first explanation he could come up with was illusion. He could not think of it any other way. However, Urahara, the owner of this place, was dead—or he looked like he was dead. Illusion should dispel themselves when their makers died or lost consciousness. Maybe Urahara hadn't died yet, or he was, in fact, a superhuman. The thought of Urahara made Zero remember the older man's limp body on the floor in his own kitchen, the blood was wetting his hair and clothes, the rotten smell, the strange smell which disgusted him—

When the silver-top was deeply thinking about the shop owner, a body flew in the air before falling at his direction.

"Wha—Kuran!"

He was too surprised he couldn't catch the president. Their bodies collided and both sank into the sand, making a low sand screen around them. A silhouette appeared from beyond the screen. Zero narrowed his eyes. He still couldn't make out the shadow's true form, but he could guess that was the one who'd driven a hordes of level E which almost killed him.

Kaname stood up before Zero, and Zero got a good look of his companion.

Kaname's clothes were ragged, it was obvious that he was wounded, although no traces of the wounds left thanks to his rapid healing. Zero figured the pureblood that was their enemy this time was quite strong to push Kaname to the edge like this. Not to compliment on Kaname's strength, but deep down Zero believed that Kaname was the strongest vampire to exist. If not, how could he have that much sovereignty over other vampires, enough to force the coexistence plan at them?

"Who is he?" Zero asked as the sand screen slowly went down.

"Strange of you to ask such question at a time like this," Kaname only mumbled.

"He wounded you, if you haven't realized. I thought you're the superpureblood everyone adores."

"I'm also vulnerable to my own kind—to those with the same blood purity as I," the brunet answered. "And he's old."

The sand screen had completely faded and Zero could see the whole apearance of their enemy, and he was a little surprised to find a lanky old man was standing there, his clothes were also shabby, and he used a cane to support himself. He looked like the kind of man you often found begging for money in the corner of the streets, with long, dirty white beard, white hair that was as dirty, and wrinkled, spotted skin. Only the fact that his torn out outfits looked like a jacket Zero saw in some high-class boutique not too long ago showed who he really was.

"Another beauty," that man's voice was hoarse, but nevertheless powerful. Zero felt shiver down his spine as he met the old man in the eye. "You must be having a very good life, Kaname."

"Yeah, ever since I left you. Now, disappear!" Kaname moved at light speed at the old man, at the same time the huge boulders around them trembled and then floated. The older pureblood destroyed the stone that was closest to him and deflected Kaname's close-range attack at the same time. The clash between them was quiet, by the way.

Zero closed an eye and aimed his gun. Not good, the two purebloods were moving too fast he couldn't be sure that he would hit the right person. Zero couldn't follow their movements—what with the boulders that kept moving around, making sand screens around them. Dammit, he cursed. Zero had countless experiences chasing after lesser ranked beings, but the only time he ever faced a pureblood was when he helped Kaname getting rid of the other member of the Kuran clan. The only thing he could ever learn from it was: never overestimate yourself. As a young hunter, he thought he could do anything, for he was the descendant of the legendary hunter family. That one encounter with Rido beat his pride flat.

Another explosion sound. Kaname caught the older man by his sleeves and pushed him to the ground. He pressed his elbow the old vampire's throat, his other hand was ready at the old man's chest. Zero thought he wouldn't get to use his gun, but then he caught a glimpse of the old man's smile and suddenly their positions were reversed.

"You're too naïve, Kaname," said the old man, placing his cane on Kaname's left ribs, right above where his heart was.

Zero released a bullet.

The old man raised his hand, as if shielding himself from the bullet. He cringed when the bullet burnt his palm, his expression was amused. "A hunter! But your blood"—sudden comprehension was apparent in his dark grey eyes—"a _vampire_ hunter! You really have a good taste, Kaname!"

"Don't speak as if we're related," Zero growled. He shifted so that the next bullet he'd shoot would get to the old man's head. "But anyway, release him!"

His authoritative tone made the old vampire angry. Zero forgot for a moment that this pureblood was good with controlling mind, and hence he wasn't prepared for mind-attack. His head throbbed so suddenly—it felt like his brain was trying to break free out of his skull. He bent down, let out a restrained groan as flashes of his worst memories surfaced. He felt like he was forced to go back to those times when his life was hell, and even though he knew they were all just memories, he could not snap back to present.

"Your head is too high!" the old vampire howled.

"He doesn't have anything to do with us," Kaname said in flat tone, keeping his voice clear even though the walking stick was crushing his ribcage, on its way to his heart. "Let him go."

"Sweet… revenge is sweet, Kaname… I have been waiting for this moment when I crush the person you care about into shreds…. How does it feel, Kaname?"

"You're sick."

"I am! But you know what? That doesn't sound so bad…"

"Killing him won't make me accept you again."

The old man laughed. "I don't care about that anymore. I only want to see you suffer. First I got rid of that clergyman. And now I'm going to finish off your lover… and then—no, you'll be the last one, you're the grand prize—oh, I heard your sister is coming back today?"

"And if you think you can get your hands on her, you're horribly wrong!"

"NO!" the old man said gruffly. "You're the wrong one, here, Kaname!" he stomped his foot on the younger man's body and lifted his cane. Kaname was going to move, but in his hastiness to avoid being pierced at the heart, he let a small gap in his defenses, and in one fell swoop his body control was overtaken.

One second was all the old man needed to put Kaname in his place.

"NO!" Zero screamed, pulling the trigger. His head was still hurting, his vision was blurry, but he had to shoot, or—

The weight on his mind was suddenly lifted, and everything became clear.

"You've done your part really well," said the hoarse voice.

Zero's eyes widened at the sight in front of him. The old man was still standing, with a hole in his right chest from which he bled heavily. The anti-vampire bullet nullified his healing abilities, but even so he wouldn't die from such wound. He had to be shot in the head—

He felt like his heart was going to leap out of his mouth. There on the ground was Kaname, and the cane was pierced through him—the sand undeneath his body was dyed red…

The brunet turned his head at Zero, his face was grey, with blazing red eyes and a trail of blood leaving the edge of his lips.

"Zero, don't—guh—mind me… go—" the brunet coughed blood, and then the light in his eyes faded.

"Wh-what?" Zero stuttered.

Zero couldn't comprehend what just happened. His fingers trembled, making him drop the gun.

Did Kaname just…?

"Kaname?" he called, unsure on what to do.

The old man fell staggered away; the pain in his chest was spreading, and he could feel his life was oozing out of him. He was too old to withstand the anti-vampire bullet which had always been going through developments over the year—but he could get away from this place and had his wound treated before it became worse—

Something laser-like flashed past Zero, and the next second, the old pureblood fell on all fours. He stoned, his expression was surprised. Then, starting from the strands of his hair, his body deformed into glistening dust.

"My… what a mess!" said an amused voice. Zero started and quickly spun, to see a man with traditional Japanese robes was walking nonchalantly at his direction, in one of his hand was a fan which covered his lower face as if he was a shy woman. He wore a pair of geta and a white-green striped hat.

(*- **TBC** -*)


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer **

See chapter 8.

(*- **Chapter 9** -*)

There are strange things in the world—sometimes even with the latest technology, you can't explain how they occur. It doesn't matter if you possess a brain of a Noble Prize's winner, or superhuman strengths like those superheroes in movies. It doesn't matter of you're a rich fuck who owns half of the world. It doesn't matter if you're an alien, either. Strange things do happen, and you can't do anything about it but wonder.

Some people call them miracles.

Some other just scoff at them and regard them as mere anomalies.

The interesting thing is, those things—let's start calling them miracles from now on—can change people's lives, but they can be negligible at all. Sometimes it even miraculous for you to see miracles happen right in front of your eyes. However, it's possible that most of the time miracles happen around you but you just too dense or too blind to see them, or to feel them, or to believe in them. And those miracles that bring people happiness might just past through one phase of your life without you realizing it, and hence you lost its meaning.

In the end… it all depends on you. Depends on how you appreciate things around you. Depends on how you want to function in the short moment you call life.

Kuran Kaname never lacks of anything throughout his life. He has wealth, he has charisma. His only family member loves him and his followers worship him. There is nothing beyond his reach, nothing strong enough to stand in his way. Being frivolous isn't his style, though sometimes he does do things on a whim. But his existence is just too great he doesn't see what he's walking on, what he has passed. His arrogance is just too overwhelming he sometimes forgets who he is, what he might cause others.

Kuran Kaname doesn't believe in miracles.

Until he sees with his own two eyes that he's not a faultless God.

(*-*)

"It's strange. It's too strange."

"Stop it, Hanabusa," Kain grumbled from his spot near the fireplace. "Can't you see that we're all worried, too?"

"Yes! But don't you think going out with that goddamn secretary just before Yuki's party is strange?"

"For the God-knows-how-many times, shut up and sit down, Hanabusa!"

"But don't you think it's—"

"He should have a business to be done and he needs his secretary with him," the firestarter reasoned. Ichijou hummed.

"But they don't use Kaname's car," the blonde said. "Which means the place where they headed to is close enough for a walk, because I don't believe Kaname can tolerate public transportation."

"What kind of public transportation can you find at this time of the day?" Aidou groaned.

"Seriously, Hanabusa. Shut. Up." Kain had been very pissed off by Aidou, who was temporarily staying at his place due to his heartbroken, and really needed the feeling of superiority of telling the ice-wielder off.

The loud-mouthed cousin retreated to the window and leaned his back there, his blue eyes strayed to the streets below. At night, the view here was sparkling, as if the stars themselves being relocated on the Earth surface only for the sake of viewing from this very tower. But now that it was almost five in the morning and orange splashes of the sunlight were about to trim the dark blue sky, those shops had closed and the only lightings were from the streetlamps. It was, anyway, different from the 24-hour market which people refer to as 'The Sleepless City'. Most of the shops down there closed at one or two in the morning.

"Not good," Yuki sighed. She flipped her phone on her palm restlessly. "They won't answer."

"Who did you call, Yuki?" Ichijou asked.

"Nii-sama, and his friend."

"His friend?"

Yuki nodded. "A man called Urahara Kisuke. Have you heard of him? He's a strange man, and he seems to always know when something extraordinary happens. Nii-sama always goes to him in clutch time, and somehow he always has a solution. I have only met him once and he's a little like Headmaster Cross, likes to joke around. But he's too mysterious and I think he's not the type of person who becomes best friends with anyone without ulterior motives."

Ichijou frowned. The name Urahara Kisuke did ring a bell, but he was sure it wasn't of anything important. From the sound of it, this man was pretty much human. Kaname only associated with the high-level vampires and very few human, but Ichijou knew of them all—none of them named Urahara. But if he was indeed a human, then he should be doing shady businesses to know someone as powerful as the vampire prince.

"We should search for them," Aidou said quietly. "Remember what happened to him last month? About the old man who kept making level Es just to get his attention?"

Kain clasped his lips shut. Even though hearing Aidou's voice irritated him, he could not ignore the point his brother just bared out. Kaname did know peculiar people, and even engaged them in unlikely relationships only to quench his thirst for adventure. But Kain just didn't know where to start.

Ichijou walked across the room, towards the boss chair where Yuki seated herself. "Yuki, do you think this Urahara-guy knows something about Kaname?"

Yuki lifted her shoulders. "I don't know. Urahara-san knows many things, and usually if Nii-sama went without notice, it was to make transaction with him. Nii-sama said he wasn't hiding his connection with Urahara-san, but he said if too many people knew he was consulting to someone whose reputation was unheard of, it wouldn't turn out pretty."

"Would you call him again, please?"

"Um… sure."

Yuki opened her contact list and searched for Urahara Kisuke. However, she was about to press the dial button when the device rang, the name Urahara Kisuke was beeping on the screen.

(*-*)

Zero watched closely as the man poured the dark concoction into Kaname's mouth. The brunet was knocked unconscious after the cane crushed a part of his heart. The bloody hole in his chest was too horrible to look at, but Zero couldn't seem to take his eyes away of it. If he wasn't looking at the man wearing the striped hat, he was staring at that hole that was trying its best to heal itself.

"You're looking hungry," the shop-owner commented.

"Huh?"

"Your eyes. And your fangs. I can even hear your heart beating in anticipation. Do you want his blood? I suggest you restrain from drinking from him. _He_ needs blood to recover. If anything, _you're_ the one who's supposed to be the donor."

Zero scoffed. "He doesn't need a cheap blood like mine," he said, scowling at the goofy shop-owner.

"Are you sure?"

They were in the living room, the place which was destroyed not too long ago. Zero was dumbstruck at the sight of a neat room with the table in the middle and a television at one corner. The blood stains on the walls were gone. The strange blood stench was gone. It was a completely normal living room in a Japanese-styled house. The shop owner moved the table to the side and laid Kaname on the floor. He then left Zero with the comatose vampire alone in the room and back approximately an hour later with a ceramic teapot which letting out transparent white steam and smelling like tropical herbs.

He had been trying to make Kaname ingest the strange liquid to no avail for the last hour.

"What is that?" the silver-haired hunter finally found his voice to ask.

"It's medicine to help his cells regenerate," Urahara answered. "But we can't make him drink it like this, and I suppose you'll be of a great help in the matter."

"What do you mean?"

"Take some of the tonic and transfer it to him using your mouth," Urahara said simply.

"What?! Why don't you do it then?"

"No way, this medicine tastes awful! I'd rather kiss Kuran-san in a normal way."

"I like it better that way too!"

"Oh, you've kissed him?"

Zero bit his tongue in his hastiness to rebuff the shop-owner's statement. Urahara flapped his fan and laughed. Zero cursed mentally. He just pierced his own tongue with his elongated fang, and even though it healed in no time, it still hurt.

"My, you're so easy to read," the shop-owner went on.

"Shut up." Zero never liked verbal fight, and he decided he loathed this goofy man even more than Cross Kaien.

"I wouldn't speak that way to someone who just saved my life, if I were you," Urahara winked an eye.

"I didn't ask to be saved," Zero retorted back. "And you did not save anyone, anyway!"

Urahara blinked innocently. "But who gave that old man the finishing blow but me? Who sacrificed his own house for your battle but me?"

"Wait, so everything was already your plan? Your fake death—"

Urahara laughed. "Pooh, pooh, you're wrong there, Kiryuu-san. I didn't fake my death. I wasn't even here for the last month that old man living in the underground."

"But—"

"The corpse you saw was an artificial body. It's a gigai. A robot. And as it was not a real body, the blood was not real either."

Zero took the information slowly just to decide that he could not get the whole picture. This mess in its entirety was a pretty bizarre occurrence, should he say. This man had been housing a deranged pureblood in the underground desert of his house? Wait, underground desert did sound strange, too. How did he built that, to begin with?

"Is there anything you want to ask?" Urahara raised an eyebrow.

Zero looked outside. "Everything seemed so strange," he admitted. "Everything happened too fast. Speaking of which, do you know that old man?"

Urahara tilted his head. "Of course. He had been one of my favourite customers."

Zero glared. "What?"

"I know about his affairs with Kuran-san, too. Their past relationship wasn't pretty. That old man loved beautiful things, very possessive, and powerful, too. I didn't know how Kuran-san became acquainted with him, but he must have been forced."

Zero pursed his lips. Urahara's words made it seem as though Kaname was a victim of something. Zero had witnessed with his own eyes how Kaname fared against the old man—it wasn't impossible for him to have to sacrifice himself for… well, anything that might endanger the lives of the people around him.

"You must be confused with everything," Urahara said considerately. "Please, take a moment to sort your mind up. But only remember one thing—Kuran-san really cares about you. If he doesn't, he wouldn't have used up his strength to protect you—yes, you might not know it, but you're the reason how he ended up like this, Kiryuu-san," Urahara added when he saw Zero scorned at his words. The hunter blinked.

Urahara stood and patted his clothes where they got wrinkles. "I'm going to cook breakfast. My… it's morning already. I need to open the shop, too. Oh, and would you please help Kuran-san drink his medicine? Mouth to mouth?"

"Piss off," Zero growled threateningly.

Urahara went to the kitchen and soon tapping sound of a knife hitting the cutting board repeatedly was heard. Zero shifted towards Kaname to look at the wound closely. It was not spurting blood like it did two hours ago, but it hadn't closed either. Zero figured that Kaname might be awake after his heart finished regrowing the missing part which the cane had destroyed. The hunter eyed the remaining dark liquid that was now not as steaming as before. Well, that Urahara-guy was definitely shady, but Zero was pretty sure he did not mean any harm to them. The potion shouldn't be a poison.

He poured some into the small cup and sniffed it. Ugh… the smell up close—he'd better hurry open Kaname's mouth and force the medicine into his throat.

However, he was as failed as Urahara in doing so. Kaname's tongue must be blocking the channel. Zero looked around to see if he could use something to pick Kaname's tongue up. In two seconds he gave up—there was no such thing in that room. He heaved a long sigh. He could only use his finger.

His heart picked up speed as he inserted his index finger into the slit between Kaname's pearl white teeth. He felt his cheeks turning hot and red and his stomach fluttered. Why was he getting an erotic feeling from trying to give someone a medical help? He felt the heat on his face intensified as he inserted another finger, to pinch Kaname's tongue and brought it up. With his other hand, he took the cup and tilted it atop Kaname's mouth. Before any drop of the potion was poured, Zero realised with his fingers holding the pureblood's tongue, there was no space to put in the medicine. He retreated his fingers.

Zero glared at the cup in his hand, as if everything that befell him for the last few months was all its fault. He looked at Kaname, and then back to the cup, and back to Kaname repeatedly until he was tired of himself and sighed in despair.

The hunter glanced at the way to the kitchen, from where he heard the sound of something being fried. Urahara was busy with cooking right? Well… he wouldn't be coming back to this room for a while. Taking a deep breath, Zero took the cup into his mouth and took some of the potion.

It tastes like shit! he cursed, almost spurting out the medicine. Well, whatever. Kaname was the one to drink it. With the thumping heart beat as loud as a fire alarm, Zero bent down, readying himself to transfer the medicine into Kaname's system orally—

"What are you doing, Kiryuu?"

This time, the drink really burst out of the hunter's mouth, some got into the pureblood's digestive entrance, some other splattered all over his face.

And if the level of irritation and the grimness of one's expression were inversely comparable, then Kaname was extremely annoyed.

"You-you're awake, you dipshit!" Zero swore without thinking.

Kaname supported his body on his elbow and slowly rose to sitting position. He wiped his face with his remaining shirt sleeve. "Were you thinking that I was dying and it was the only chance you got to kiss me?"

"Why do you always bending everything so it's convenient for you?"

A glint of naughtiness flashed in Kaname's bright red eyes. Zero gasped as he noticed Kaname's intense hunger. He still looked calm and composed, but his fingers were trembling hard.

"Your wound," Zero pointed at the hole in Kaname's stomach.

Kaname followed Zero's finger and looked at his own torso looking a little surprised but didn't comment on it. He looked amazed at how he could see his heart was rebuilding itself. Urahara must have had done something so the damage wouldn't be too fatal. Zero edged closer to see what Kaname was so seriously seeing on his own wound. However, he just moved two inches before the pureblood suddenly pounced on him and locked him on the floor. Zero didn't have time even to yelp, and the sight of Kaname's feral look just inches above him took him by surprise.

"Hey—" he reprimanded, trying to break his way out of Kaname's iron grip, but the pureblood was unrelenting. His fingers squeezed Zero's shoulder blades, pulling the shirt and exposing the fair column beyond it.

"Let me," he mumbled, before dipping his head down to the bare neck beneath him.

(*- **TBC** -*)


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**

Never own Vampire Knight. This work is for entertainment purposes only (mostly mine, for writing it ;D ) and I gain no profit, other than having my pen name be known on the internet, from writing this (though I may be not that famous to have my pen name known, but anyway… ;D ).

**Dhinx's Note**

Where has the comedy gone? I don't know… I'm not guilty… *hands up* But I'm not going to change the genre for the time being, who knows if humour will respawn in my head again. I'm not sure if I've gotten over my writer's block yet (after the damned reports and projects which kinda altered my way of writing for the last few months), but here I am. I know that it's not the best idea to make an update when I'm uncertain if it's the time to end the hiatus (because if I got busy with assignments again, the updates will be much much slower than before), but I feel really bad for not doing anything for months…

This chapter clears up something between Zero and Kaname, and some of you might not want to continue reading after this… But anyway, I'll try hard on emphasizing the plot and not the *ehem* minor details, so it might not be that unbearable… But still, the decision is in your hands, people. Lastly, I want to apologise that this chapter isn't as good as the previous ones. However, please enjoy Chapter 10 =D

(*- **Chapter 10** -*)

"Heeeeh?!"

"Wait a sec, old man! What do you mean he's gone?" The ice wielder's knuckles cracked as thin layers of ice started to form on his hand. Urahara raised both his hands and smiled nervously. Having been frozen in his own beloved living room was not his favourite way of taking hibernation from the world.

"I meant what I said!" he said quickly. Any police officer who witnessed his manners would quickly judge him guilty for whatever things he did in the past—he looked like a child who got caught stealing candies and was frantically tried to ease his way out. "He just left when you arrived. Close your eyes and feel it. His reiatsu, I mean."

Aidou couldn't argue with that, because the moment he entered the shop, he knew his precious Kaname-sama had spent a good hour of the night there. Probably with Kiryuu. What they were doing was the question. No matter how he looked upon the matter, the shop lacked anything worthy of note. Japanese style, dusty, and stinky. It stank something between burnt and rotten flesh, one that Aidou couldn't pinpoint. The shop at front was not much more impressive than the other rooms either. Some antiquities, some oversized and overpriced candies… Seriously, what kind of business a shady man like Urahara Kisuke did for a living? He looked like a person who's got more than meet the eyes, but… he was too weird to be categorised in anything, even for Aidou's vast knowledge.

"This room stinks," Kain wrinkled his nose, stating the one obvious thing the other vampires in the room had been itchy to say. "I wonder how you could live in such a rundown place."

"Hey, hey, Kain-san. Please not belittle my humble abode. This place sheltered your lord just a while ago, you know," Urahara said quickly. His room was not that smelly. True, the scent from the fake blood and gigai and the pureblood's remains downstairs still lingered, but it wasn't that strong.

Though, perhaps, to a vampire it was. No matter how shady he was, Urahara was NOT a vampire.

"What was Kaname-sama doing here?" Aidou murmured, more to himself. He looked around the living room for the God knows how many times. Each time he glared at the corners, as if hoping something would jump out of there and finally explain to him why he felt so much malice from the most ordinary house he'd ever entered, the same dull wallpaper and cobwebs glared back at him.

"Like I said, he was chasing an old friend of his. They got into a fight in this house and that's all," Urahara said in a heartbroken tone.

"It doesn't seem like there was a fight in here," Kain said calmly. "Are you trying to deceive us, human?"

Urahara shook his head, his striped hat moved along with the motion. "Of course not. The fight was last night, you know! We had enough time to clean up the mess."

"What about Nii-sama' injuries?" Yuki finally asked. "Nothing life-threatening?"

She called the "emergency" number her brother gave her and got connected to Urahara after a few tries. The shop-owner informed her that Kaname was indeed at his house. Yuki asked for the address and once she got it, she stormed off the Clan Group building with Aidou and Kain. But when they arrived, the pureblood had already left.

"He was fine and kicking. Well, literally, though. He knocked some of my prized possessions in the shop while he went out. I had to spend thirty minutes sharp to reassemble the armour in the front, and I swear it can never look the same… "

"That doesn't sound like he was fine, you dork!" Aidou growled. "I'll freeze you into the next age!"

Kain caught his cousin's hand and squeezed it firmly. "Stop it, Hanabusa. And how are you going to freeze him to the next age, anyway?"

"Don't mind my wording, Bakatsuki."

"Then, where has he gone?" Kain ignored the last remark and reverted back to interrogating the old man. Urahara sighed and rubbed the back of his head, he suddenly looked so weary and somewhat arrogant, making the fire-starter suddenly got the urge to burn something.

"Home, perhaps," he said. "A limo came to pick him up. The driver was really polite and he gave me a nice sum of money. To cover the cost of repairing my broken merchandise, he said."

Kain hurriedly nodded. He flipped his phone and pressed a speed-dial key. "I'll tell Takuma."

Aidou pinched his nose in a futile attempt not to inhale the stinky air too much. It was his first time coming across such a singular scent and he wondered what kind of substance gave it off. It reminded him of burnt-meat ash, death, and rotten blood altogether. He hated it.

"At least now we know Nii-sama will be fine," Yuki said while holding her hands together. "Thank you, Urahara-san."

"Don't mind it, Kuran-san! How about you buy my latest edition of Bunny Candy as thanks?"

"You just said she shouldn't mind it!" Hanabusa snapped.

(*-*)

He was feeling déjà vu.

Kaname's breath was ragged. His left elbow was on Zero's throat and Zero's claw-like fingers were crushing his shoulders. He was too tired—he wanted some rest and blood on top of it. Zero was making sure he would get neither.

Keeping Zero's fangs away from his neck took all Kaname had. The hunter had been struggling with his inner beast during the trip to the apartment, and now he'd lost it. Actually, Kaname's plan was to bring Zero home and let him cool down in the bathroom or something. However, the bloodlust grew worse by the minute and Zero's allergy to blood tablets escalated the problem. Kaname tripped over the edge of the door and make his toe bled only contributed more fuel into the fire. Now Zero was pinning him to the bed and had been trying to gain access to the exclusive pure blood which ran through Kaname's veins. He'd lost it, and only blood could bring his sanity back.

Zero always came at the worst moments ever.

But Kaname had to admit that it got him a little too excited.

"Kiryuu, can you listen to reason no more?" Kaname breathed out. Zero growled. His tongue was stretching out, as if doing so would make it longer and reached Kaname at all. It wasn't a pretty sight, but somewhere deep inside Kaname was getting hot. It took more than just self-restraint not to lean forward and let that pink muscle taste him.

Kaname tried to shift his position.

No good. Zero's grip on him was too strong. Ironic. When a pureblood became weak because of blood-deprivation, a level D became stronger instead. Though in a low-level vampire it worked like a bomb: a release of a vast amount of power in an instant. Destructive, but suicidal. Kaname didn't want the person atop of him to die so soon, but, he was in no position to offer his life essence, either. It was unlikely for a pureblood to die out of blood loss—even if he had to lose a majority part of his heart or suffer massive bleeding. But still, waking up from such state could take forever, and the sensation of waking up… it was worse than the worst hang over.

"Alright. I'll let you have some," Kaname muttered. It was his own fault Zero became like this, anyway. If he hadn't bitten him in the first place, the hunter wouldn't need to drink at all. Sometimes this blood-sharing thing felt so absurd and nonsensical, even for him. What's more was a wholly different problem that seemed to entail this particular situation. With Zero moving with ferocity on top of him, forcing his way to get the only thing he could offer, Kaname was feeling the thrill of subjugation. Wild ideas ramming into his tired mind, and bit by bit he felt his resolve weaken.

Zero would get his blood.

And he would get what he wanted from the vampire hunter.

It was a fair trade wasn't it? Zero wouldn't have to complain later, when everything was finished and they were sober. Kaname wouldn't leave him any room to complain in the first place.

Purposefully, Kaname bit his lower lip and release his arms from the hungry vampire. Mindless as he was, Zero brutally crashed his lips onto Kaname's, licking the savoury blood, and immediately nibbled on it when the blood flow stopped. Kaname moaned in pain, but didn't resist. The silveret kept drawing blood from his lips, sucking like his life depended on it. Well… it did, actually.

It soon felt like Kaname's lips could turn white with Zero taking away so much blood so quickly just through them. Thinking it could over in an instant when Zero realized he'd have to bite somewhere else for more nutrition, Kaname groped around Zero's chest and lower, until he found the buckle of his belt. The belt was of simple design and was easy to unfasten. The next second Kaname was already slipping his fingers into the unzipped pants.

Zero threw his head back when Kaname's touched finally stimulated him. His eyes were closed and his brows were knitted, wavering between uncomfortable and pleased. It seemed that Zero decided it was the latter, because for the next few moments he didn't do anything but moaning in rhythm with Kaname's grip movements. Kaname took the chance to take Zero by surprise and reverse their position. The beast growled in annoyance, but shut up when Kaname's ever-bleeding lips kissed him with fervour.

Kaname had to work fast with his and Zero's shirt buttons because the hunter didn't have the decency to play slow in his current state. Just when Kaname had finished taking off his own pants, Zero was hovering over him again, his need of meal was intermingled with his need to get off; the scent of arousal was thick in the air they had no other choice but to breathe it in. His kisses were not only to draw blood anymore, because now Kaname was having his own tongue being engaged in a languid battle of dominance. However, it was evident that Zero had become more eager in this than Kaname that he quickly claimed victory over the weary pureblood and now even his hands started to participate.

Zero's tongue moved from Kaname's kiss-swollen lips down to his neck, licking the brunet's bite area sensually, at the same time his fingers were teasing Kaname's nipples with much care, making Kaname wonder if the hunter had had this kind of experience with someone else before. Of course, it was normal for someone in Zero's age to have done intimate practices with a willing partner, but somehow Kaname always pictured Zero as a moral-driven virgin. The thought of Zero possibly had done this made the pureblood furious, but he realised he could do nothing about it. Killing the hunter's previous partners wouldn't make him pure again.

Their hard lower members came into contact soon as they erected. Kaname bit back his moan and placed his hands on Zero's pants instead, pulling them down. He wanted to touch the rigid muscle and see how Zero reacted. The sound he heard was definitely one he should have had recorded. Just hearing it made his length throbbed in pain, pumped into nearing its release. Kaname was dizzy, but not just from losing blood.

"Zero…"

Zero grumbled unintelligibly as the fingers around his shaft was teasing him. He clearly liked it, but he disliked not being the one to do anything. So he flipped Kaname till the brunet was lying on his stomach and rode on him while teasing the fair skin just beneath brown curls-covered earlobes. Kaname's heart was pounding hard; he could feel the bed beneath him resounded with the fast, violent beats. Zero ripped the remaining clothes that were still attached on them and tossed them about the room. Now, nothing hindered their flushed skins to touch. The barrier was taken away, leaving them stark naked. Kaname breathed hard in anticipation. Soon… very soon, he'd get what he wanted.

Suddenly, the memories of their moments together in the office came back to his mind. How he had been teasing Zero, how the hunter had always been looking so uptight and disapproving of his conducts, how the small sparks between them slowly grew worms in Kaname's heart, and those worms ate on him so fast that now there was nothing left of Kaname but the thoughts of a certain silver-haired hunter. Zero was a disease that turned Kaname into a lovelorn fool.

Something snapped within him.

Suddenly, everything felt so wrong, no matter how right the strong body above him was embracing him. This had to stop. What was he thinking, luring Zero into doing it with him when it was clear that the hunter was not in his best judgment?

Kaname turned his head to look at Zero, but when he tried to shift his body, Zero gripped his hips and raised them up. Kaname's eyes widened, panicking, but still anticipating the treatment his body would have to endure. In a split second Kaname felt like he was being torn apart. He grunted on the bed sheet, as discomfort was raking through him. He was familiar with this sensation. In just a flick of moment everything would feel better and he'd be in heaven—and the fact that Zero was actually inexperienced really put him a little at ease.

And the last piece of his resolve would vanish into thin air.

(*-*)

Taking the suitcase she left in her brother's office, Yuki accepted Kain's offer to drive her home (actually, the red-head was a little too insistent—he thought that at least he'd bring the pureblood princess home after he lost her in the airport though it wasn't his fault at all). She also had explained to the employees the emergency situation her brother was in (sudden business trip, an important contract, and some deranged conglomerate wanted to hook Kaname up with his daughter—all were lies but somehow everyone seemed to believe it… maybe she had become more eloquent after spending time in the States?) that the party needed to be rescheduled. Anyway, she'd be with her brother soon. She'd missed him too much.

She was still worried about Kaname, even though Urahara had said that the company president was quite alright when he left for home. Well, from the sound of it, the fight was pretty dangerous. Bloody and gore and all that. The last time Kaname went for such fight was ten years ago, and the outcome wasn't pretty. After she was awakened to her power, tending to her brother's mortal wounds needed more than just iron will. Yuki needed a lot of time to get used to bloodlust, and her brother was always there, preventing her from going crazy and takes anyone in sight—

Ten years ago. Everything changed. She lost her best friend, another brother to her, forever. Thinking about it still hurt, though there were other happier times when she remembered the pouting silver head, how those lips puckered into cute, adorable ones, and his brows knitted, whenever Yuki pulled pranks on him. Yuki still remembered every expression on that face that the ex-human allowed her to see. Yuki, secretly, missed him too. She still heard about him from his brother sometimes, his name was mentioned in passing when talking about the hunter association, a small sign that he, wherever he was, was well.

Yuki agonised over how to get in to Kaname's apartment without the key, but the thought was quickly washed over by the guardsman's warm smile and polite greeting,

"Good afternoon, Kuran-sama. I haven't heard about your arrival."

Oh, right. All the vampires in this town knew of her, of course, what with her brother was the ruler of the region. She wasn't treated this way back in the States—she had to always bring her key if she didn't want to climb the wall to get to her room in the dead of the night. Well, it was her own fault, really. She chose to rent a human-only apartment in the city—a place where no one'd give a fuck about her blood status.

"Oh, yeah," Yuki said, a bit surprised because she wasn't expecting a greeting. "My brother doesn't even know I'm already by his door!"

The guardsman nodded understandingly. Kuran Yuki was one of a kind, and he kind of liked exchanging words with her. Though most of things came out of her mouth didn't matter at all.

"Have fun with the surprise, Kuran-sama."

"Mou… I thought I'd told you to call me Yuki. When I'm with my brother, calling us by our family name kinda annoying, you know."

"But you're not with your brother at the moment, Kuran-sama."

Yuki frowned into a confused look. "That's true. But, well… whatever. Have a nice day!"

The guardsman bowed down before handing Yuki the spare key to Kaname's room. Yuki almost bounced towards the elevator while humming happily. The danger had passed; her brother was now safe in his own quarters. He might be tired and hungry from the fight… Turned out she'd have to cook after all. Calling for room service at this time of the day wouldn't be a wise decision. Her cooking skills hadn't improved much in the last few years, but she figured it'd be much better than risking to be caught in a weakened state.

The elevator chimed and then opened. Yuki was greeted with a faint scent of roses as she stepped out of the car. Kaname's room always had this particular odour. Not her favourite, but she liked it. However, as she walked further into the living room, she smelt something else, mingled with the perfume. Yuki sniffed. It came from her brother's bedroom, so she tiptoed at that direction, not sure why she was acting like a house burglar. Kaname should have been able to sense her presence ever since she stepped out of the elevator after all.

But… wait… if Kaname really had sensed her, shouldn't he come out of his room to greet her? Was he sleeping?

Yuki was about to press her ear on Kaname's bedroom door when the said door was opened from inside. She gasped as she struggled to balance her body, but failed, and tumbled forward into Kaname's arms.

"Yuki!" the male brunet exclaimed. His voice was genuinely happy. "Welcome home! Sorry I couldn't pick you at the airport."

"Nii-sama," Yuki snuggled closer, wrapping her arms around her brother's back. "I'm home. I'm so glad that you're alright. I went straight to the office to surprise you, but later I found out that you went to Urahara-san's place to settle some problems. I'm glad that you're alright. Really, really glad."

Kaname tightened his embrace, and then pulled back. Yuki looked up to him, and that was when she noticed the two bite wounds on her brother's neck. Going up a little more, with a little effort, she saw the slightly swollen eyes and bruised lips. Kaname realised what she was seeing and tried to move away, but Yuki caught his arms firmly so he wouldn't step further. The girl was frowning.

"Wait, this smell…" Yuki said.

Kaname tried to shrug it off. "I'm sorry that you have to know about this. It's a… male's stuff. Don't worry about it."

"I'm not saying about the lingering sex smell, Nii-sama," Yuki cut her brother off rather uncouthly. "And yeah, I know about it because my friends once tried making out in my room when I wasn't looking. What I mean is this other person's smell in here. I think I'm familiar with it, but it's not any of your usual partners. Who is it?"

Kaname sighed. "Yuki, you're finally here after so long and now you're preaching at me? Hhh… sit down, I'll pour you some juice."

"Wait!" Yuki immediately put more pressure in her hands, knowing it would pull Kaname's attention. "Nii-sama, you've just had a death-inducing battle and from what I heard, you were severely wounded. And then you just had a go with someone I know? The two of you must have exchanged bloods to some extent! How can I not _preach_ at you about this?!"

Sooner or later, she'll know anyway, Kaname thought. "It's okay, Yuki. I won't ever give my blood to just anyone. I have given my blood to this person once in the past."

Yuki's eyes widened. "Y-you mean… Nii-sama, do you mean…"

Kaname nodded. "It's Kiryuu. He's now working as my secretary."

(*- **TBC** -*)


	11. Chapter 11

(*- **Chapter 11** -*)

Zero lifted his gaze from the sink to the mirror, where he could see the smooth curve that was his chin, without any sign of facial hair. As if to make him even more annoyed, he noticed his eyelashes were pretty long for a guy.

_Yeah, you're just such a guy_,said a tiny voice in the back of his mind, and he could imagine his own clone was standing right before him with a sly smile attached to his face. His imagination was vivid enough that he could even see those long, pretty eyelashes moved in a very delicate manner each time he batted his eyes.

Zero scowled, and then, unconsciously, drove his knuckles to the mirror, shattering it to tiny pieces. Those glass shards fell into the sink, but a few smaller shards embedded in Zero's skin, tampering with his healing. Blood was dripping from there. Slowly, but unending. Like how it trickled down the pureblood's thigh to the sheets beneath him—

Zero punched the remnants of the mirror, completely crushing it to the point that he made cracks in the wall and nothing was left there—nothing was left to remind him of the bloodshot eyes he was having right now. Hurting, but didn't know what to do to stop the pain, Zero smacked the sink until it, too, crumbled into pieces of clay, scattering on the floor around his feet. _That_ feeling when you crushed something. _That_ feeling when you vented your anger somewhere. And _that_ feeling when you knew that no matter how much you destroy your surroundings, you weren't even close to having your problems solved. If only he could, he'd have ripped out his own heart and watched it bleed, shrink, and reduced into dust.

Well, he _could_, technically.

Zero fell on his knees, his breath ragged. The scratch wounds started to heal—except those with foreign objects imbued in them, and soon the pain could not avert his mind anymore. It wouldn't make him forget the sensation of being buried inside that hot passage, of having a mindblowing release, of attaining a completely new definition of pleasure that he was never aware of before.

Everything was because of that man! No, everything was because of that _monster_.

The pureblood bastard must have had tricked him into it. There was no way he would do such a thing when he was sober. That guy should have some kind of magic, some kind of spell to put on him and lured him into doing… doing _that_! Tricking him to blood-exchange was one thing, but se—sexual intercourse was a different matter altogether! And for him being the one to do the taking… it must be part of that fucker's plan, too. To have him being the one screwing with him, trying to make the victim feeling guilty for 'raping' him…

Zero nodded. Yeah, that must be it. There was no other explanation. Kuran Kaname, you immoral bastard!

With a newfound resolve, Zero nodded to himself and then walked out of the bathroom. The sun had set; his room was swathed in warm, orange light. It was then that he realised how chaotic his mental condition for the last few days was.

His cupboard was tilted forward, vomiting his clothes out to the floor, a kettle and a broken cup was on his bed, and there were cracks on the walls. Not to mention other things that weren't on their designated spots. Rubbing the back of his head, Zero sighed heavily. The only thing that amazed him was how his neighbours didn't complain to him upon hearing the noises from his room—he must have made a ruckus creating all this mess, right?

Zero took his cell from the bedside table and looked at the date in the corner of the screen. He had skipped going to work for a week. By this time, any sane company leader would have fired him, and he wasn't going to be surprised if his contract was already terminated. However, he didn't hear anything from the association, which means that Kuran hadn't called them, so it was the most logical assumption that he wasn't fired yet. With another sigh, Zero walked around the bed to the cupboard and picked a suit from the piles of clothes. He'd tell the landlord and apologise for harming the room later—he needed to get to Clan Group building and settle his business with the president first.

(*-*)

"Lift up your chin a little… okay, look right here… good. Now put your arm around her shoulders—no, that's okay don't turn around—alright… That's a wrap!"

Touya stood up, arms crossed. Shiki shook hands with the photographer before going straight at her direction. He'd have a destructive permanent frown had the shoot lasted a minute longer. Shooting during twilight—and outdoor, to boot—was the worst. First, because it meant they had to wake up really early for their standard, and second, the scorching heat from the setting sun felt like full blast revenge to their already weak constitution. Thank goodness they were finally done for the day.

Touya pulled Shiki towards the lush tree she was hiding under for the last hour. The male model sighed in relief.

"You okay?" Touya looked into Shiki's eyes in scrutiny while handing over a glass of juice. "You don't seem like someone who's eager to go home after a tiresome job."

Shiki looked away. "I don't want to go home."

"Why?"

"Kaname won't be there."

Touya plopped down beside Shiki and slung her arm over his shoulders, just the way he hugged the other girl in front of the camera just a moment ago. "You can always go to the office. He always welcomes you." It felt really strange in her mouth, saying what she just did. She cared about Shiki more than herself, and she let Shiki do whatever he was doing with the pureblood prince just because it made him feel happy and loved. However, when Shiki spent the last few weeks in his apartment—and not going to Clan Group building to visit Kaname, she clearly encouraged the change. Kaname might be the most wanted guy in the universe, but engaging in relationships with people who loved him but he didn't love back was utterly wrong. Shiki said too many times before that he was special to their Kaname-sama, but Touya couldn't help but pity her friend.

Shiki was being delusional. And he nurturing the false hope Kaname gave him would lead to inevitable disaster for his own well-being. Touya didn't want that.

"I'm not sure about that."

Now _that_ was something new. Touya frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"He's been busy with his new toy lately."

Her frown became deeper.

"Are you talking about…?"

"The level D."

Actually, Touya wasn't that surprised. She'd heard about the new secretary the association sent to spy on the vampire world. Apparently it was Kiryuu, the vampire-hater who would undoubtedly give them favourable reports (according to their standards). It was a risky, but smart move. The hunter geezers had played their cards well, and Touya was expecting Kiryuu would last longer than his predecessors.

However, she never imagined that he would stoop so low as to appeasing Kaname by being his secret lover. It was too much to believe.

"Wait, Senri… are you sure? I mean, are we talking about _that_ Kiryuu?"

"_That_ Kiryuu," Shiki nodded in affirmation.

Touya almost burst into wild laughter. So uncharacteristic of her in front of her colleagues.

"Senri, tell me… have you been into drugs lately?"

Shiki turned at her, pouting. "I'm NOT hallucinating! I'm NOT imagining things! I saw it with my own two eyes. I saw them making out in the office. I almost walk in on them. Lucky they didn't notice my presence."

Touya's laugh was swapped with the look of horror.

"B-but… how could… They were—"

"Whatever you think they were, it's in the past," Shiki said in melancholy. "Their relationship is completely different now."

"I think I still can't understand it."

"You don't have to. It doesn't concern you." Shiki rose. "I think… I'll just go home, anyway."

"Senri—" Touya also stood up, but Shiki's gesture clearly told her not to go after him.

(*-*)

"Zero?"

He just stepped out of the elevator when a small voice made him look up, so fast that he could feel his sore muscles around his neck protesting at the sudden movement. That same voice called out to him once again.

"Is that really… you?"

Those big, garnet eyes, that pale complexion, those familiar brown locks… Zero blinked, as if trying to shrug out the uncalled for dream.

"Yuki?"

They stared at each other with equal happiness and surprise in their eyes. Time was stopped for them as they exchanged looks, and suddenly the setting was completely forgotten. Zero almost stumbled back to the closed elevator doors. He didn't know what to describe of the emotion he was feeling at the moment. He didn't even mind the fact that they were classmates in high school. It was Yuki who stood in front of him right now, and that was what mattered.

His voice was lost when his ribs were attacked by a mop of brown hair. Yuki crashed herself into Zero's chest, wrapping her hands around him a little too tightly that it made even Zero cringed. The hunter squirmed for a second to disentangle Yuki's arms from his now throbbing torso. Damn purebloods with their monstrous strength… he didn't recall Yuki had that kind of deathly hug.

"Hey, that hurts, you know…"

A thin layer of tears blurred Yuki's vision, so she wiped them with her sleeve. Zero, once again, was caught off guard.

"I've heard from Nii-sama about you a few times before. I mean, before you work here. About some special missions and such. The stories always sounded like a faraway tale and got nothing to do with me since we wouldn't meet ever again. And, well, I never saw it coming. You working in this very building, I mean. The hunter secretaries were always the old men… Really, I'm so glad that I'm seeing you again!"

Zero chuckled. "It sounds as if we're lovers separated by war or something."

Yuki laughed back at him. "It does, you know. Gosh… how long has it been? I've never imagined I'd see you again and talk normally like this. I thought, y'know… we'd be distant acquaintances or something. Glad to know that I can talk to you freely now."

Yuki was referring to the awkward moments they had whenever they met in the halls of Cross Academy not long after Yuki's identity was recovered. Zero felt deceived and was mad at her, and she was mad at him for thinking that anything that transpired between them was lies. It was the perfect time for Kaname to get in between the two of them and split them apart, saying that a lowly level D shouldn't have anything to do with a decent pureblood. Kaname moved Yuki to the Night Class and had her removed from prefect duties, at the same time cutting the connections she had with her human life. Even the principal was weeping for his 'daughter's departure.

So their remaining time in school was spent in silence and indifference.

Years gone by and now they were talking like they were back to the moment when Yuki was still a latent vampire. This world was strange. But they were even stranger for living in it.

"But how come you skipped work for a week? I've thought that the association had pulled you off and replaced you with another beardy old man."

Zero mentally saw a dart flying towards the back of his head. Why, of all the questions existed in the whole universe, should Yuki ask him that particular one? Zero suddenly wanted a pureblood's supernatural ability, like disappearing from one's sight for as long as he wanted. He really wanted to disappear now, or dead, well, anything but answer Yuki's innocently directed question.

The girl tilted her head to the side a little as she studied Zero's expression. If she were ten years ago, she'd definitely ask if Zero had a stomach-ache. But she was more mature now, and more experienced in the world's way of things, and wasn't as naïve. In a split moment she knew what was going on Zero's head.

"Is it because of Nii-sama?"

"Huh?" Zero started, panic for not knowing what to say. He wanted to confirm it, but he was at a loss of how to explain to Yuki the reason why this was the exact moment he wanted to get away as far as possible from the president. It was the time when work was the least merciful compared to the other days. Their company was working on a new product's release and there were so many documents to be made and assessed.

"Last week you stopped by Nii-sama's place, didn't you? Something happened there, right? Are you too embarrassed to meet face to face with Nii-sama after that?"

Zero wondered how Yuki could know all of that, but then he remembered that she had a lewd bastard for a brother, said bastard must've had told her everything. Not to mention that she'd been living abroad in the last two years.

"Listen, Yuki, it wasn't my fault—"

"I know," Yuki cut off, nodding reassuringly. "I'm not blaming you. I just… want to say thanks."

Now Zero really had no clue of what was going on inside Yuki's head. She was a total airhead back during high school, it was highly possible for her to still have that trait. He started speculating on what the pureblood brother told the pureblood sister regarding their affair the other day… knowing Kaname, he must've had twisted the story to his own liking again.

"What for?" he asked with anticipation.

"For doing it with my brother."

Zero paused for one second before shrieking. "Huuuh?!"

"Y'know… my brother has been involved in impure relationships with so many people. He's never gotten serious. But if it's you, I think it'll give him the good influence. If it's you, that is. You can make him stop playing around and seriously start thinking about his future. I have my faith in you."

Yuki went ahead and patted Zero's back. And when Zero was still in the middle of processing what she just said, the brunette continued,

"You don't have to… feel guilty or embarrassed. Be honoured, Zero! Going out with a pureblood will definitely raise your status and people will stop looking down on you anymore. Ah, but you're respectable enough in the hunters world, huh? Right… that'll be a huge problem. Hm…"

"Yuki?" Zero raised a hand life a student trying to interrupt his teacher's preaching in the classroom. But Yuki went on,

"But if both of you love each other, I think even the association can't do anything… or don't you? I'm not familiar with the hunters' ways, ha-ha… Chairman Cross never let me in on the business when we still lived together…"

"I'm sorry, but Yuki, I think you're mistaken—"

"No, no, Zero. Like I said, don't feel guilty or embarrassed about it. It's fine. Vampires don't really mind the gender thing or anything like that, and we don't really care about marriage unless we're aiming to have an offspring…"

"Yuki!" Zero raised his voice, enough to stop Yuki's babbling. He looked around and relieved that everyone in the lobby weren't watching them. "We—I mean, Kuran and I _aren't_ lovers and we're _not_ in love with each other. Is that clear?"

Yuki stammered. "Eh… uh… you're not lovers?"

"Never!"

The look on her face was that of a disappointment, but then the girl smiled. "Then, it doesn't matter, does it? My brother tends to start a relationship by being fuck buddies."

Zero's jaw dropped. He was completely rendered speechless.

"He's a love-can-start-from-physical-relationship believer. If you give him the right amount of attention, he'll be head over heels for you."

_You've forgotten about me, Yuki! _Zero cried inaudibly. _What about my feelings? What about my chastity? What about my life?_

But somehow her innocent (or what she forced to look innocent, because Zero believed there was nothing innocent about this at all), bright smile, so wide that even her large eyes were closed into pretty moon-like curves, reduced Zero's argument into nothingness. Once an airhead would always be an airhead. Yuki's extraordinary words had made him lost awareness of his surroundings that he didn't feel another pureblood's presence approaching the lobby. It was when Yuki greeted her brother in enthusiasm that Zero finally came back into reality.

"Nii-sama—oh, I mean, President! I'm sorry, I wasn't slacking off. I'm going back to my room now."

But Kaname wasn't looking at her. His narrowed eyes were trained on Zero's silver locks as the hunter refused to look at him. The younger pureblood left the lobby in a flash and then they were alone too soon to Zero's liking. Kaname walked forward and only stop one step away from his secretary.

"Where have you been, Kiryuu?" he asked demandingly. "Do you forget that you have responsibilities? I did some of your job thanks to your disappearance. I want an explanation."

Zero snorted. "Explanation? I think you know it better than I do, Kuran," he said, still looking at the floor.

"Is it about that thing the other day?"

"What else is there?!"

"I'm disappointed in you. Don't mingle your private matters with works. You need to be professional. Or is it the habit of you hunters?"

This time Zero lifted his face. "Don't insult my kin, vampire!"

Kaname's small smile caught him by surprise. The pureblood suddenly grabbed his arms, keeping them at his sides. Didn't need a long time for Zero to realize Kaname's intention. He was preventing the hunter from drawing out his gun.

"Wh—"

"Ssh," Kaname whispered to Zero's ear while pushing the hunter backwards. Zero didn't have a choice but to move back until his back met the cold metal of the elevator door. Kaname's face was pressed on the nook of Zero's neck, breathing in Zero's faint scent and the strangely refreshing smell of soap. Kaname usually hated it when a person's scent was mixed with his perfume. "I missed you."

Zero's spontaneous reaction was, "What the hell?!" with a quick uppercut. But he was too dazed to even react. The elevator door was cold, Kaname's body was hot. He felt like he was going to weather out being sandwiched between the two extremes.

"Why?" was the only thing he could force out of his suddenly sore throat.

"I just did."

"But… why? There must be a reason." Zero didn't know what came into him. He wasn't being his usual self. His usual self would shove Kaname away, take out his gun, and point it out at the pureblood. A glare and a real-sounding threat would entail. But now he was asking Kaname for reasons! What good would it do him knowing the pureblood's twisted trail of thoughts? Insane!

"You're really asking me that? You're so cruel." Kaname opened his mouth and ran his tongue at Zero's skin, feeling the bitterness of the tattoo, but the sweetness overwhelmed every other sensations. Zero whimpered.

"Wh—hey! I was just asking!" He should have just pushed Kaname away and things would have been put to an end. But, somehow, he found that he was weakened to an incomprehensible state and that he was still on his feet merely because Kaname pressed him hard onto the hard surface that was the metal door. The memories of that fateful night came back to him, pushing away the other thoughts, especially those regarding the time and location. It's as if they had teleported to an unknown world where the other did not exist.

Must be the pureblood's situation manipulation. Must be!

He would not be in such a state if the pureblood wasn't coaxing him into this (still in denial).

"Mmh—" Zero bit his tongue to keep the moan from escaping his mouth when Kaname nipped at his bite area, teasing him. The singular sensation of having a vampire's fangs on his skin made the surroundings clearer for Zero. His eyes widened in shock.

They were still in the lobby, dammit! Anyone in their floor could spot them making out like some rabbits in heat. The last time someone saw them 'making out' made Zero the subject of the whole building's gossips. If one of the higher ups saw how Kaname teased Zero's sensitive spots and having Zero blushing like a ripe tomato and panting like a fish out of water… Zero couldn't imagine what kind of humiliation he would receive. Better be ready to file a transfer request to the association and move to a deserted area and live like a friggin' monk.

"H-hey, stop it!"

"Mm… still not enough," Kaname slurred, moving upwards to Zero's earlobe. His hands now resting on Zero's shoulders, half-massaging them. It was surprising how Kaname's claw-like fingers—Zero tried so hard not to think about beautiful, long piano fingers with velvety touch enough to drive him crazy—could elicit pleasurable effects on his tensed muscles, turning him on.

"You sex-manic! We're in the lobby!"

"Everyone's in their offices. Unlike _you_, who managed to have a week-long vacation without notice, the others are hard-working personnel I hand-picked."

"Well, sorry for being an irresponsible employee. Somehow having a pervert for a boss is enough to make one dreading coming to work."

"I believe the last time we were left together you were pounding hard on me."

Zero's redness escalated to a whole new level of redness which couldn't be described by mere words anymore. "You know exactly who was in control at that time!"

"Yeah, I was pushed on top of the bed with my butt elevated at forty five degrees and had fangs on my neck—I was handling the situation very well."

"Stop being a smartass."

"I won't. You love my ass."

"For God's sake, Kaname!" Zero groaned in frustration. Although he had prepared the words to tell the pureblood should they argue over this matter, he had no energy to actually spout them out. His strength was used up only by thinking of how Kaname would tell him back.

"Yeah, Zero?"

"Enough! I'm going to request for a transfer! You and your hard cock can go to hell and I won't care!" Zero practically yelled. He was so flustered he could hear his own words echoing in his throbbing head. His heart was beating as erratically. He felt really dizzy; his ears were ringing. Later he knew that it was the dead silence which followed his angry shout that was deafening him.

Kaname had let go of him, the look on his face was unreadable. Was he mad? Or sad? Was he afraid? Or simply amazed?

"You're going to transfer?"

"Yeah. I've had enough of your molestations!" Zero answered instantly.

"And what will be filling the _Reasons for Transfer_ field in your transfer form? You're not seriously going to put, 'President Kuran always touches me with passion and I'm afraid that I'll lose control and give in to temptation if I keep around a hundred mile radius from him because his hands feel really good on my bare skin.' are you?"

A huge drop of sweat slid down the back of his head comically.

"I think I'll write that you're a waste of time and constantly lost in a lala land that I think working here will destroy my skills."

Kaname chuckled. "Oh no, I'm sure that by working here your skills are honed very well. I'll teach you very thoroughly. Preferably in bed."

"We're not talking about the same skills!" Zero's face just too cute when he tried to be a tsukkomi.

"You didn't specifically mention the kind of skills you're improving!"

"I'm a hunter, of course it's vampire-hunting skills, moron!"

"I think forcing a vampire into submission in bed is a very valuable skill, you know."

Zero's eyes narrowed. He had to stop this ridiculous talk or his face would permanently be red in colour. "You're so impossible," was the only thing he could utter. He couldn't say anything anymore. He pushed Kaname to the side so he could walk away.

However, the president didn't budge and rested his hands on the metal door instead, trapping Zero with them. He leaned forward, clearly wanting to continue his previous services.

"_We're in the lobby!_" Zero repeated with more power on each syllable (and a little excitement, which he stubbornly denied).

"I know my own building like the back of my hands, thank you."

"You're welcome, but you seem like you keep forgetting it."

"Oh no, I just like changing the settings is all."

"Don't be so carefree. Don't you have a rep to keep?"

"My subordinates are reliable enough to keep nasty rumours to themselves, really."

_And turn to me as the villain as ever_, Zero added miserably. "Whatever, just get off me!"

"Mm-hmm," Kaname captured Zero's piercings with his slightly elongated fangs this time, tugging at them playfully.

Enough of your sick games! Zero mentally screamed, truly afraid of being caught red-handed by someone more than having another mind-blowing blowjob with his boss. He pushed as hard as he could, and when there was small space between them, he connected his fist to Kaname's jaw, sending the aghast pureblood a few steps back. His jaw looked slightly crooked.

DIN! The metal door behind Zero opened ceremoniously. The hunter gasped and quickly turned around. Inside the elevator was the red-head model that was one of Kaname's partners. The two of them looked at each other for a second, before the young noble glanced at Kaname and his healing jaw. The remnant of Zero's might was still visible, but it was healing nonetheless.

However, it didn't seem like an ignorable sight for the top model. His face contorted in a burst of anger, something dark came out of his body and seized Zero, the grips around his wrists and neck was strong and alerting. Zero hadn't the time to dodge. Kaname yelled hurriedly.

"Senri!"

The red-head walked out of the elevator and let the door behind him closed. The number indicator atop the door showed that someone was going to use it. He didn't immediately answer to Kaname, but glared at Zero with undivided attention, like a predator eyeing his prey. Zero wasn't scared of him, but he couldn't do anything either with his gun in its holster. He could evoke a hunter spell—all he needed to do was direct his palm towards his attacker and he was as good as freed. But he didn't want to cause commotion in the enemy's turf, and it seemed that the red-head had his own reasons. The expression he wore wasn't that of a crazed vampire.

"What did you do to him?" Shiki seethed, narrowing his eyes, making his question had more impact.

"Senri, stop it. I'm fine," Kaname said with a slight haste in his tone. Shiki didn't notice it, though. The desperation in Kaname's words, that is.

"He just hurt you," he said in disbelief. "Do you want me to let him off that easily?"

"We were playing," the pureblood said the first thing that came up to his brain. Zero almost rolled his eyes, if only he weren't being strangled by a blood whip. Playing? Seriously, Kuran. It seems that you've lost your touch, he thought sarcastically. What kind of game involving a level D punching a pureblood, anyway?

Shiki felt dismissal in Kaname's tone, so he let Zero go. The hunter sprawled on the floor wheezing, desperately filling his lungs with air he so much needed. Kaname watched him rose to his feet before turning his attention back at Shiki.

"What brought you here, Senri? I told you to stay away from me for a while. I'm really busy as of late."

Zero swore he saw a glint of tears welling up Shiki's eyes. But when the noble blinked, his eyes were as cold as ever.

"You never deny my visits," he said with fragile confidence.

"I'm sorry, but there are some things I need to—"

"It's about him, isn't it?" Shiki cut off, glaring at Zero heatedly.

"I've spoken to you about this. For now, just leave, alright?"

Shiki's expression remained unchanged, but Zero could sense imminent danger in his grey orbs. Zero remembered there was a stoic noble among Kaname's loyal follower in high school, but he wasn't so threatening like the person before him right now. The hunter in Zero's blood screamed for danger, telling him to take action, but he didn't know what. He wanted to warn Kaname, but he was confused. Why should he care about the pureblood, anyway? He was going to transfer, and soon his life would be peaceful again without a hentai boss stealing lewd glances at him every ten seconds and groping him at weird spots every ten minutes.

It seemed that Shiki's distress was evident to Kaname, too, because, when the noble turned around and went for the emergency stairs, Kaname hurriedly ran after him.

"Cancel my appointments for tonight and sign anything that needs my permission. And also finish your one week-worth of job or I'll cut your salary," Kaname said to Zero before disappearing in the end of the hall.

Zero was still in a daze for the next three seconds. Shrugging the uneasiness that suddenly took place in his heart—a completely different feeling from being suffocated, although a bit similar, he pocketed his hands and went towards his workroom.

(*- TBC -*)

**Dhinx's Note**

Hey, I'm back again. Personally I like this chapter more than the previous one, although it's still not my favourite. I still haven't gotten the muse yet, but I made an outline and it kinda helps in directing the plot. I hope you enjoyed reading it =D. Anyway, I can't help but thinking that Zero is a kind of person who melts under alluring touches =_=a and I've been listening to Shakugan no Shana's soundtracks lately (no one asked! *got smacked in the head*).

**Disclaimer**

This is a fan-made work, jff and non-profit.


	12. Chapter 12

(*- **Chapter 12** -*)

The boss didn't come back after that, leaving Zero to 'have a taste of his own medicine'. The marketing manager and PR manager came bringing a pile of documents regarding their current project and just looking at them made Zero's eyes spin. Now he started to wonder how Kaname coped with those stacks of papers, reading through them and making judgments every day, all alone in his grand office while his secretary was drowning in self-pity for something that _he_ had to endure—

Okay, halt.

Zero wasn't sure, but there must be something wrong with that thought… right? _Damned pureblood_, he cursed under his breath, as he pulled the closest pile closer and started his job. His over-abused CPU was giving a dull buzz, making him sleepy, while the monitor was displaying Ichiru's picture—his wallpaper. Right. To hell with that bastard, he could have all the papers to himself in the future and Zero wouldn't even care. He was going to transfer anyway…

In the middle of reading the cooperation proposal, Zero's mind wandered to the memory of his childhood, when he and Ichiru still lived together and their parents were around. At that time, he never imagined hunting could be so boring that he even considered taking a break—which apparently lead to him being transferred to working behind the desk, and under a pureblood vampire's power.

A few months is enough. Perhaps… it was time he came back to the front line. The words he told Kaname out of sheer irritation echoed in his mind. Transferring sounded like the best idea to him now. Not only because he wanted to get away from the pureblood—not only because breathing the same air as the pureblood made his stomach swirled for a completely different reason than it used to be—which he still had a hard time to admit—but also because he felt the need to go back in action.

He had to go back to being a starving predator—or he'd lose himself.

He was a vampire already; indulging in vampires business made him more a vampire than a hunter. Zero put his pen on the table and leaned back, resting his tensed neck. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Alright, now. Let's work," he said to Ichiru's picture, and started opening the documents in his hard drives to relate to the hardcopies.

(*-*)

Kaname still hadn't come back by lunch time. Zero had just finished the first stacks of papers when Yuki's head popped by his door, her wide smile greeted him. She gestured for an invitation. Zero wanted to refuse at first. However, feeling the weariness in his eyes for reading too much uninteresting materials, he yielded.

"Wait a sec," he said, and Yuki nodded, her thumb pointing at the elevator's direction, saying wordlessly that she'd wait for him there. He put the computer on stand by and put a sticky note on the processed stack and stretched his sore muscles. He joined Yuki afterwards.

"Does a secretary normally get hidden behind so many papers like you?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Normally, no," Zero sighed. "It's because your brother hasn't come back from chasing his precious lover." Zero said it with so much venom in his tone that Yuki cringed.

"You mean Senri-san?"

"Yeah, that model guy."

Yuki's expression changed. Her brows furrowed, her eyes shone with rare agitation. It was Zero's first time seeing her looking so anxious. If he wasn't mistaken, that Shiki-guy was the president's cousin: son of his deranged uncle whom he casted away from the society. Perhaps his lineage was still making people wary of him?

"What's wrong?" he finally brought himself to ask.

Yuki scoffed. "It'd be a lie to say 'nothing'," she said with wry smile. "Let's talk in the private chamber."

She was referring to the cubicles in the cafeteria in the 20th floor. To accommodate the employees' need of solitude and serenity, this cafeteria was equipped with private rooms with enhanced soundproof-ness for those who wanted to keep their privacy even during lunch break (because vampires had so strong hearing ability). Of course, the special treatment called for higher prices, so only the upper echelons often used those private chambers. Zero only occasionally ate at the cafeteria, let alone in the private chamber, so it was a rare chance for him.

As expected of a high class cafeteria, there were very few of the menu Zero could order in his current financial state. It was a good thing that Yuki was pretty sensible and he was not that proud about himself (monetarily) to refuse a treat from a girl. Yuki ordered for a full course, and then the waiter excused himself.

"I never knew there could be such a luxurious diner in an office building. The cafeteria in the association headquarters serves camp meals," Zero said with a bit of envy. "Not so different from the thing we cook for ourselves in the middle of the jungle during missions."

"Oh, I haven't tried such meals. Are they delicious?" Yuki said cheerfully, without malicious intent. Still, her way of saying it sounded like an offense. Zero almost glared at her for that.

"They're delicious… when you're starving. Some missions can be very tough and you can only have one or two meals in a few days—or weeks. Seriously, with your pompous daily life, you'll never be able to stand that situation."

"Hey, don't be mad at me for being curious," Yuki pouted. "I only got chance to play hunter for a friggin' few months. After my memory was recovered, I got banned from anything hunter-ish."

"Blame your overprotective brother for that."

"I do it every day. But forget about it. Don't you have things to ask?"

Oh, yeah. Zero straightened his back.

Wait! Actually, thinking it over, he didn't really have any valid reason to want to know about Kaname and Shiki. The lips that were parted, ready to speak up his mind, clamped shut once again. Yuki tilted her head, encouraging Zero to ask. When the silver-haired hunter grimaced, as if battling with his own mind, Yuki took the initiative.

"I know what you're thinking," she said, smiling triumphantly. "You're hesitant to ask about Senri-san because he has such a deep relationship with Nii-sama, aren't you?"

Zero snorted. "I'm just thinking that asking about them might be too nosy."

"It's fine. You have to know anyway."

"Uh… why?"

"What else, Zero, you're Nii-sama's potential spouse!"

If he were drinking, he'd have soaked Yuki with whatever he had in his mouth. Good thing the waiter came with the drinks just a second after Yuki said that. Zero quickly grabbed the green tea and drank it, his throat suddenly feeling dry.

"I am NOT going to be your brother's whatever, Yuki. If anything, we're enemies!" he choked out, putting back his glass on the table with a little too much force that the remaining fluid in it almost spilled.

But Yuki only nodded in a knowing manner that irritated Zero to no end.

"Among Nii-sama's lovers, Senri-san is the one I'm always wary of," Yuki started, and Zero, despite his statement of not going to pry about Kaname-Shiki's relationship, quieted down, listening.

"Why is that?" Zero leaned forward subtly.

"Because… he's strange."

Zero blinked. "Is that so?"

"You might think I'm reading too much into it, but I can't help but notice. The way he's eyeing Nii-sama is… different. It's not just love or lust. There is something else. I doubt Nii-sama notices it. Even if he does, he takes it too lightly. Or acting nonchalant about it."

"How is he different? I mean… isn't he always with you guys since high school? Or even before that… it seems… though I don't know the details."

"Yeah, we're cousins, so Nii-sama and Senri-san had some episodes together when they were young. Since I spent my childhood as a human, I only heard the stories. But you can't suspect anything from those stories. I don't know when it started, but it seems that Senri-san has become very obsessed about Kaname-oniisama. The scary thing is he never shows it on the surface. We never know what he's thinking unless he spits them out."

Zero agreed with that last part. The young noble was capable of nearly strangling him to death without much consideration. He didn't hesitate to do anything if it was concerning Kaname. The look in his eyes was cold and empty—his brash hunter instinct told him that the only way to subdue him was to shoot him dead.

"You vampires always have problematic characters," Zero snorted a laugh.

"It's in our nature," Yuki shook her shoulders. "You know, talking about this with you, at this moment, specially, feels really weird, but normal altogether. My human self over ten years ago was just as confused as anyone could be when it came to vampires, but now I'm seeing things completely differently."

"Life always has its ups and downs. And we all change," said Zero in agreement. _I too, have changed to the point that I amazed myself sometimes_, he added silently.

"Yeah. I would've never thought you'd go for Nii-sama. But who am I to judge? Like people said, love and hate are two sides of one coin."

Zero exhaled a very long breath. "Yuki, for the last time in my entire life, I'm saying this very slowly so you will etch my words into your puny brain: I and your brother don't have anything to do with each other, alright?!"

Yuki laughed as if Zero was the funniest stand-up comedy she'd ever watched. "Geez, you're so serious, Zero! That part of you never changes!"

(*-*)

And the boss did not come to the office the following day, and the following day. Zero, who at the beginning didn't think too much about it ("The office is more at peace when he's not around," he told himself stubbornly when he wondered what the boss was doing with his lover that he even forsake his job when it was a critical phase in the project), started to get extremely annoyed. He became very grumpy and even spoke rudely to the R&D Manager who came to ask for the president's approval. The Manager went out of his office with stamped papers, but after retaliating Zero's bad words and threatening to make his life miserable for his bad mannerism.

Yuki came a few times in a day, making Zero wondered if she did her job at all. She looked so much at ease and having fun pulling pranks on people. Zero could see that most of the office workers disliked her, but since she was the president's little sister, they could do nothing about it. Zero presumed that the girl was bored. She wasn't one to sit behind the desk and read and write, like the job she was assigned to in the company, so it was just as expected.

It was the third day of Kaname's disappearance and Zero's workload just increased and increased like there was no end to it. He never knew that when running a project, a company could make this much documents, and all of them needed to be stamped. On top of all, he never knew that a secretary's job was to read those papers and review them. The secretaries in the association were rarely seen on their desk! They also had anti-vampire weapons and went on hunts just as much as the other guys.

Zero was cursing the pureblood's name as he typed an e-mail to an internet friend of the boss who asked for a friendly meeting over the end of that week when his door swung open, a bit unfamiliar aura washed over him. He was prompted at the new presence. He looked up and saw a stone-faced girl with double pony tails came into his office. Zero remembered this girl as one of Kaname's inner circle back in high school.

"What can I do for you, Miss?" Zero asked politely for he wasn't sure how to address this girl. He had never had anything to do with her before. "Mr President isn't in his office at the mom—"

"I know that," she said gruffly. "I wan't to know where he is."

Zero blinked. He was uncertain whether to feel annoyed or ashamed because he didn't know his boss's whereabouts when he was a secretary. But he managed to mask his emotions.

"He didn't say," he said.

"Aren't you his secretary?"

"Must a secretary know everything about his boss? Actually, I think I have presumptions as to where he might be right now."

"Where?"

"With your friend…what's his name? Ah, Shiki."

"I know that much. You're so useless."

"Then why don't you—"

"Call Senri?" the girl cut him off. "If I could get through to him, then I won't be here asking a pathetic out-of-service secretary like you. I'm worried about Senri. He hasn't been in touch for a week and I thought Kaname-sama might have done something to him."

_Actually, I'm more worried about my boss_, Zero said mentally, as he recalled how fierce the male model that night. But the severity in this girl's tone piqued his interest.

"Why are you worried that Kuran might have done something? Aren't they lovers?"

"You're so blind for someone so useless. At least use your eyes a little, will you?"

This girl needed a few bullets to the head. "What did I say wrong?"

"Anyone with functional eyes would understand that Kaname-sama is only taking advantage of Senri's affection towards him! There's no way that they are lovers!"

Oh, an observant vampire in Kaname's circle, finally! Zero had long believed that he wouldn't ever understand vampire's morals and that they're just different and there's nothing he could do about it. But this girl clearly broadened his horizon—albeit a little. Not all vampires conceited and unfaithful, it seemed.

Though he had to bite down the urge to retaliate the insults he received.

"Has Kuran been an… uh… abusive patron?"

The girl flinched, but she looked away. Now her stoicism had faltered and she looked like nothing more than a lovesick teenage girl. She must love that Shiki-guy very much.

"No, he's … he's always been so gentle, with any of us," she said quietly. "No, I mean, I'm not one of Kaname-sama's… bedwarmer. He, you know, only prefers men. Not that I regret that, anyway, because I have Senri to care about. Well, choosing Senri over Kaname-sama is a laughable matter for us, and I remember Ruka would call me an ungrateful kid because I don't love Kaname-sama the way they do."

The girl sighed. She leaned on the doorsill, but still looking outward.

"It doesn't matter. The thing is, Kaname-sama has been very kind to everyone and it makes him sad. Senri, I mean. Senri loves Kaname-sama sincerely, although he was a bit distant when they were younger. Far before Kaname-sama was involved with Takuma-san in that way, he was together with Senri first—no one knows about it but me. No one knows how painful it was for Senri. Poor Senri."

That was surprising. Zero recalled what Ichijou told him that night when they met in the lobby. The smiling-faced blonde believed he was Kaname's first fuckbuddy—well, in their inner circle. That's kinda sad for him.

"Still, I don't understand. If Kaname's so gentle-hearted, then why would you be worried?"

"Didn't Senri come here a few days ago?"

"Uh-uh."

"Did you know what they were talking about? I mean, did they meet at all?"

"They met, and I kind of… overheard them," Zero cringed. _I was almost choked to death in the middle of their spat_.

"How did it end? Did Kaname-sama yelled? Or hit Senri?"

"Huh? None of the sort," Zero shook his head. It was a bit hard to imagine that Kaname slapped anyone but Aidou. "Kuran asked him to go because he was busy, and then he became angry and left. Actually, it was one of those rare times when Kuran was honest. Job was like an unstoppable avalanche these days. Look here? These are actually your pureblood's job. I end up having to do them because he's somewhere consoling his so-called bedwarmer. Although I bet they did it outside of bed more."

But the girl seemed to only notice one point in that long explanation.

"Kaname-sama told Senri to leave?"

"Yeah, why?"

"He didn't punish Senri for what he asked?"

"Um… no. I guess not."

"I don't believe you."

"Why asking me anything if you're not going to believe me? Now, go away. I have work to do."

It seemed that the pony-tailed girl hadn't finished and was dissatisfied by Zero's lack of interest. It was a matter big enough for her to come out of her shell and search for answers. She glared and was about to leave when Yuki came, almost bumping into her.

"Oh, Rima-san!"

"Yuki-sama," the model girl greeted.

"What brought you here? Are you looking for Kaname-oniisama? He's not here; he hasn't been home for days! Do you know where he is? There're some documents that I need him to sign. It has been really hectic lately," Yuki blabbered before the model could answer.

Zero noticed the bundle of documents in Yuki's arms and sighed. He stood, stretched his sore muscles, and then walked towards the girls.

"You actually worked those documents out?" Zero teased, but he reached out his hands, gesturing the hand over. Yuki pouted and gave him the stack of papers with a bit force.

"Be sure to review them and hand them back to me tomorrow. And where are you going?"

"Coffee," Zero muttered, putting the papers on top of other documents on his desk. "Don't gossip in my office." And then he walked away.

"He's so anal," Zero heard the model said as he turned right towards the pantry. "How could he not know where Kaname-sama is? He's the secretary!"

"Rima-san, don't push him too hard. He's also worried. After all, he's Onii-sama's future spouse."

Zero stopped in his tracks and turned around, almost going back to his office to tell the two girls off. Yuki, that damn airhead. Stop making people misunderstand!

The model shrieked shrilly. "_HE_ IS?!"

"Yeah. You didn't know? They've been together the past few weeks."

"Is he the reason Kaname-sama dumped Senri?!"

"He _is_. I feel sorry for everyone, but I think it's a good thing. It's about time Nii-sama settles down. I'm not saying that Senri-san and the others are not good enough, but I believe that one has to be committed only to another person. One day Nii-sama has to choose, and whoever it is, I'll support him. And if it's Zero, I'll support him a thousand per cent."

Rima heaved a resigned sigh. "What you said is true, Yuki-sama. But I'm still worried about Senri."

Zero decided that he should just eavesdrop on this. He felt bad a little for listening on in people's conversation, but he was convinced that they were also at fault. And if he could hear them just fine at this distance, other vampires on the floor could also hear them, which mean what they were talking about wasn't a secret at all.

Although he very much preferred that anyone who talked behind his back kept whatever they conversed beyond closed doors.

"Oh, I know!" Yuki suddenly cried out. "Why don't we call Takuma-san?"

There was a pause before Rima said again mournfully. "He said he didn't know anything and that Senri hadn't contacted him in a long time. He promised to help search for Senri, but he doubted Kaname-sama would have done anything to him."

Zero leaned his back on the wall, his mind drifted off to that night when the almost expressionless noble came to the building. He looked pretty desperate, and Zero could see that he hoped much more than Ichijou or Aidou did from his relationship with the pureblood. Could he have done something?

Zero rubbed the back of his head. Yeah right, he scoffed at himself. Kaname was a pureblood; like hell he would let anyone do anything to him without his permission. But wait… that noble… wasn't he a direct descendant of a pureblood? And Kaname's uncle, to boot! He must've had some tricks up his sleeve, moreover with such bastard as a father. He could get Kaname off guard and… well… tie him up? Those blood whips he generated were pretty strong, anyway—

Could that scenario really happen? Zero hated to admit it, but he could imagine it. If Shiki was desperate and deranged enough to attack his beloved pureblood, he might as well have injected some kind of drug to subdue Kaname's powers. He could have gotten it from a hunter somewhere—there was this invention which every hunter took with them along with their guns to capture vampires alive for questioning. This drug was more of a vampire drug than a hunter drug, which means it would only be effective to lesser vampires at normal dose (quantitative hypothesis showed that high dose of that drug could put a pureblood class vampire into a weakened state for one to three days depending on the vampire's vitality). How the noble could get close enough to Kaname to force the drug into his system was a little hard to figure out, but it could happen. Maybe Kaname was weak to puppy eyes no jutsu and its derivatives or something.

So, in this new perspective, Senri was the one kidnapping—and punishing—Kaname. It sounded unfeasible, but if it was true, then it could help Yuki and the others locate Kaname. Then they could take that sorry ass back to work and Zero could have his work load off of his shoulders. Zero hoped Kaname was in good condition when they found him (so the bastard could go to work immediately *denial*).

Zero nodded. The top priority for now is to find and rescue Kaname. He had to communicate his thoughts to Yuki and Kaname's inner circle as soon as possible.

(*-*)

(*-*)

(*-*)

The sun was high in the horizon, but the drapes around the bed hid him from its destructive light. The wind blew strongly through the opened wide windows, smelling like salt. He could vaguely hear the sound of waves in the distance. He looked around. Everything was plain and boring. And he was cold. He curled his toes on the blanket at the edge of the bed and pulled it closer. He didn't count the days, but if he was exposed to the wind for a few more days in his birthday suit, he could catch a cold.

Although it was quite ironical for a pureblood like him to get flu.

Kaname sighed. His body was trembling and a certain member was getting hard and painful. The arousal had been coming and going at a random period, making it impossible to read the pattern. He recognized the kind of drug Senri injected him as one of a subjugating type for level C vampires or lower. He tried that drug once—out of curiosity—and found out that one small bottle—the amount the hunters were allowed to bring at once—made no effect to him while it knocked level Cs unconscious for a few hours. He never thought that by amplifying the drug's effects by tenfold could affect a pureblood in a completely different way. Whether Senri knew of that fact or not, Kaname wasn't sure. Senri might not know, and thought that Kaname was only weakened in a normal way, because he only placed a single anti-vampire cuffs on his wrists to the bedposts. Senri had similar tastes and preferences with Kaname, so had almost the same portion of sadistic as well as masochistic streak in him.

Kaname was worried.

Not about his pathetic condition—aroused by just the air that caressed his bare body—but about the project he was working on. It was a huge project; he couldn't afford to be away at this crucial time. He also had appointments with investors—human and vampires—in a few days. And also parties. He had to be present or his plans would break apart like wet tissue.

As for his well-being… well, Senri made sure to make him sated. All they'd done since they arrived at this mansion was having sex. Whenever Senri saw the irregular excitement was happening, he would do various things to make it enjoyable for the pureblood. It was actually good. Kaname didn't have to do anything or go anywhere. Just lie down on the bed and let his body decide when to get nice, satisfying sessions.

But since he got horny at pretty short intervals, he had no time to break the cuffs. On top of the pleasure and thrill from being subdued, he felt emptiness eating his heart out. He would sometimes stare at the ceiling and wondered why he still felt something tugging uneasily at him even though he always had mind-blowing releases. Among all the things he was worried about, he worried about his sanity the most. And when he closed his eyes, with his throbbing member completely rigid and burning, he would dream of flashes of silver light.

Kaname bit his lower lip. He rubbed and pressed at his arousal with his thighs, hoping to make it better. In his mind, the silver-haired beauty was hovering over him, watching him in his distress—as if encouraging him to beg. The proximity was killing him. He wanted to pull that person down and kiss him deeply. Never before he desired someone so specifically like that. At the moment, he wanted only that person to hold him close.

(*-*)

**Dhinx's Note**

I'm so, so, sooooo sorry this chapter took so long D= I don't have anything to justify myself. I was just busy and I have _very_ bad time management. And I'm also sorry for the extremeOOCness. But:

**Disclaimer**

The original fiction belongs to Hino Matsuri. This is fan-made, non-profit, and just for fun, so let's just have fun! ;D


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